Dairy Management Inc.™ has launched an integrated 3-A-Day of Dairy weight loss marketing and nutrition education effort funded by the national dairy checkoff program.
This campaign is supported by a growing body of research that has linked consumption of dairy to weight loss benefits. Most recently, a study published in Obesity Research , a leading scientific journal, shows that when cutting calories to lose weight, three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt each day actually help people burn more fat and lose more weight than just cutting calories alone.
Launched in early September, the integrated program leverages numerous dairy manufacturing, retail and health professional partners to educate the public and increase the consumption of milk, cheese and yogurt. The 3-A-Day of Dairy Weight Loss program includes retail promotions, national TV and print advertising, Internet communications, public relations, and health professional educational outreach.
"The ability to show the public that three servings of milk, cheese and yogurt as part of a calorie-restricted diet helps with weight loss is a tremendous opportunity for dairy producers and the entire dairy industry," said Paul Rovey, an Arizona dairy producer and chairman of DMI, which manages the national dairy producer checkoff.
Look for the new 3-A-DayTM weight loss logo
A cornerstone of the new program is a 3-A-Day of Dairy logo that highlights the new weight loss benefit associated with milk, cheese and yogurt products. The new logo incorporates the existing 3-A-Day logo, along with the claim "burn more fat, lose weight" and a context statement to further explain the science.
Currently, 3-A-Day of Dairy retailer and branded dairy manufacturing partners are using the logo on qualified milk, cheese and yogurt packaging, in-store promotional signs, newspaper feature ads, direct mailers, and other merchandising support.
In addition to the new 3-A-Day of Dairy logo, the program also introduces a new partnership between the National Dairy Council®, the nutrition and education arm of DMI, and WebMD® Health, the nation's top online medical and health resource to the public and health professionals, with more than 20 million visitors to its Web site every month.
Other program elements include:
• Advertising: New TV, print and radio advertising launched Sept. 1 to educate the public about dairy's role in weight loss, with a 30-second commercial airing on such popular shows as "The Today Show," "Good Morning America," "Oprah," "Cold Case," and "Joan of Arcadia." A print ad with the headline "More Yummy ... Less Tummy" is appearing in national magazines such as Cooking Light, Reader's Digest, Health, Weight Watchers, Good Housekeeping, and Woman's Day . Consumers also can hear 3-A-Day of Dairy weight loss messages through two new radio commercials promoting a free trial of the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic and encouraging people to visit www.3aday.org .
• Retail promotions: Shoppers at major retail chains nationwide will receive free milk, cheese and yogurt product samples from participating branded manufacturers, along with a free 3-A-Day of Dairy/WebMD weight loss booklet that shows consumers how to incorporate three servings of dairy a day into their diets. Also, special in-store signs and other point-of-sale merchandise materials will be installed on dairy cases in more than 2,500 stores to educate shoppers on dairy's nutritional benefits. Dietitians at major retail chains received customized information packets with tools and ideas to extend the program via the pharmacy department, advertising, newsletters, and retail Web sites.
• Consumer offer: Consumers can sign up for a free three-week trial to join the interactive online WebMD Weight Loss Clinic, which offers a comprehensive analysis of eating habits, and healthy and easy-to-follow meal plans that include milk, cheese and yogurt.
To coincide with the 3-A-Day of Dairy weight loss program, the revamped 3-A-Day of Dairy Web site (www.3aday.org) launched in early September with a new, more user-friendly design and updated content to better serve the needs of the more than 50,000 people who visit the site each month. The site includes research on dairy's link to weight loss, helpful nutrition education and weight loss tools and highlights of 3-A-Day of Dairy partner efforts in a new "What's 'In Store' for Dairy" section.
For more information, visit www.3aday.org.