A2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, haw 6,19tl
Mid-Atlantic gives Dairy Mo
BY JOYCE BUPP
Staff Correspondent
CAMP HILL - The Middle
Atlantic Advertising and
Promotion Agency ushered in this
year’s June Dairy Month
celebrations with an information
seminar and kickoff luncheon last
Friday at the Penn Hams Motor
Inn.
About 100 milk industry
representatives, dairy princesses,
advertising specialists and media
guests attended the “Dairy
Promotion in the Eighties”
program.
Seminar participants had the
opportunity to compare real and
imitation cheeses and spreads,
plus taste-test this year’s latest
summer drink recipes, light,
flavorful fruity creations with
whimsical names like “Banana
Nana”, “Peaches VaVoom” and
“Grape Gatsby.”
And few guests could resist
trying their hand at a new mall
promotion game, a video
computer programmed to “pour”
a dot (the milk) into two vertical
lines (the glass). Players attempt
to catch the milk in the glass while
the computer “pours” from
random locations. In the case of
most of the players observed, the
computer had the upper hand.
Anchoring the informational
program was Dick Norton,
manager of the host agency.
Norton was interrupted frequently
in his presentations with com
ments from his mechanical side
kick, the precocious metal dairy
ambassador dubbed “Milky.”
“Milky” is a meter-tall robot
who converses intelligently via
space-age technology, and qn
endless promoter of dairy products
with a sense of humor and cap
tivating personality.
According to Norton, a fifth of
the nation’s milk production comes
from only a tenth of the country’s
dairy farms, compacted into about
a two-hour traveling time radius in
the lush farming area of the Mid-
Atlantic states.
“Each of us mush charge our
selves with spreading the good
word of milk,” Norton admonished
the seminar audience.
Major thrust of this information
campaign will focus on the Real
seal program of identifying
genuine dairy products. The
agency is directing its efforts not
only at consumer education on the
quality identification indicated by
the Real mark, but also in enlisting
farm understanding and support
for the dairy industry’s “good
housekeeping seal.”
Special guest speaker was
Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Cindy Neely offered the of
ficial June dairy month milk toast at the Penn Harris kickoff
luncheon.
ry
Representative Noah Wenger, who says the Pennsylvania
dairy industry is a success that “didn't just happen."
Lancaster Representative Noah
Wenger who capped the luncheon
program with a tribute to Penn
sylvania’s second largest industry.
“The consumer has been the
biggest beneficiary of the milk
industry,” said Wenger. He noted
the success of dairying in Penn
sylvania didn’t just happen, but
was due to the dedicated and ex
perienced family farm producers,
backed up with educational and
research programs. That ag
research budget he added, is now
becoming underfunded.
The legislator-farmer also
praised founders of the milk
marketing system.
“Fifty years ago, those leaders
had the foresight to establish or
derly marketing systems,”
Wenger said. “It seems to me that,
before we make any changes, we
better take a second look. ’ ’
Wenger attributed Penn
sylvania’s producing of a billion
pounds of milk, plus the state’s
leadership in exporting superior
dairy breeding stock, to careful
planning and management.
But with production increasing
from 1979 to 1980 in the amount of
some three million pounds, and an
increase of ten thousand dairy
cows, he also voiced concern over
keeping the milk supply in balance
with consumer demand.
Wenger did note Pennsylvania
milk prices are lower than those in
numerous other marketing areas.
His statistics showed, in 1969, it
took the average wage earner
eleven minutes to cam the cost of a
half-gallon of milk, compared to
eight and one-half minutes in 1978.
Projections are for that earning
tune to drop even lower in 1981.
Wenger, who’s vice chairman of
the House Agriculture Committee,
said a bill to name milk as the
state’s official drink has been
reported out of committee and he
has hopes of passed and
signed before June is over.
Hank Geisinger, head of the
Pennsylvania Milk Dealers’
Association, spoke briefly to
seminar guests, also pointing out
milk prices to Pennsylvania
consumers are not high compared
to other areas of the country.
According to Geisinger, returns
to Pennsylvania dairy farmers are
higher than the national average.
Dairy producers in the Com
monwealth receive a return of 64
cents of every consumer milk
dollar, while the national average
is 55 cents. He added dealers have
about two cents per dollar left for
their efforts in handling and selling
fluid milk.
Jim Shanley, marketing con
sultant for the American Dairy
Association, briefed participants
on milk promotional efforts at the
supermarket dairy case. Point-of
purchase advertising, including
colorful mobiles and display
posters, will encourage shoppers to
include milk with their favorite
summer foods, like hot dogs, fruit
and light snacking items, he said.
The highly-successful “Cheese
Adds A Slice of Life” campaign is
scheduled for a second phase
September through November of
this year. In addition to the full
promotional scope of TV, radio and
magazine coverage, contests Will
be staged for in-store cheese
promotion displays.
During last year’s 90-day
promotion, cheese sales increased
a whopping 90.7 million pounds, or
a 16 percent increase over the
previous year. Shoppers continue
to favor national cheeses, pur
chasing natural types for 67 per
cent of the total 453 million pounds
sold during that time.
Restaurant dairy foods
promotional efforts were
highlighted by Sharon Olson, food
service specialist for the United
Dairy Industry Association.
Milk advertising is making its
mark in such popular fast food
chains as McDonald’s, Sambo’s
and Denny’s, with 20 percent in
creases in milk sales occurring
during promotional campaigns
Hank Geisinger, head of the Pennsylvania Milk Dealers
Association, brought dealer input to the dairy promotional
session, saying that milk industry employees can help
promote dairy products.
Industry advertising specialists Restaurant materials boost the
are now running a “Real Pizza R*®! quality cheese image and
Maker” campaign, encouraging include signs, table tents and
pizza chains to use only real waitress buttons,
cheeses in their pizza production.
Give a REAL tip
when dining out
THANK YOU FOB USING
ms&m real
DAIRY PRODUCTS
mum
we Enjoyed Oub Visit
BUT
j WE would Enjoy visiting with You
| So MUCH more
| T You Served Only
* REAL DAIRY PRODUCTS
Young Cooperator couples of Maryland Cooperative Milk
Producers believe in letting food service establishments
know how they feel about receiving real dairy products with a
meal out. The cards are designed to be left behind with
payment and courtesy tip after restaurant dining.-JB