816-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 27, 1990
Dairy Promotions Gear Toward More Sophisticated Consumer
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
ROBESONIA (Berks Co.)
Consumers are changing. Their
wants and needs are different than
a decade ago.
To understand how to reach the
changing consumer, the Pennsyl
vania Dairy Promotion Program
held workshops to teach promoters
how to successfully promote the
dairy industry.
According to Betsy Dupuis,
“Consumerism in the 1990 s is the
power of personal choice.”
The generic American family no
longer consists of a mother, father,
and children. Households are
shrinking in size. There is a greater
number of households with fewer
members.
By the year 2,000, it is predicted
that there will be more people over
age 50 than under 18 years. This
means unprecedented economic
strength by those who want to live
longer so they eat healthy foods,
smaller meal sizes, and exercise.
“Our job as an industry is to let
them know the importance of dairy
products in the diet,” Dupuis said.
With 56 percent of all women
between the ages of 16 and 68 in
the workforce, and that percentage
expected to rise, there is a rise in
demand for convenience food with
simplification of meals and
recipes.
“Dairy promoters need to hand
“The REAL tug was a big
success at the Kutztown
Fair.”
Kids Visit Orchard During National Apple Month
Five-year-olds from a daycare center examine an apple tree at Unvilla Orchards.
The Delaware County farm operates Pennsylvania's most ambitious orchard tour
program, entertaining and educating more than 40,000 students annually.
out simple recipes for promotion.
Do not use recipes with more than
five or six ingredients,” she said.
Studies also show that many
teenagers are doing the grocery
shopping for their families. They
are buying convenience foods
because they don’t know how to
cook.
The focus during the 1990 s is on
health and fitness. “Lean is in: Fat
is out,” Dupuis reported.
“Consumers are settling for a
three-ounce portion of meat and
while this isn’t much, it is better
than not buying meat at all,” said
Dupuis.
While there is an emphasis on
fresh products, there is an increase
in closet dessert eaters. “Consum
ers will eat a salad so they can
splurge on the best dessert in the
restaurant.
“The dairy industry has really
rich desserts and this is what we
need to play up,” Dupuis stressed.
“Don’t be afraid to talk about good
desserts at promotions.”
Technology is making creative
communications possible. Shop
ping cart videos are being testing
in supermarkets across the nation.
As a customer wheels a shopping
cart around the grocery, an elec
tronic beeper picks up a sales pitch
on products as the shopper passes
items on the store shelves.
While methods such as these
educate the shopper, it is expected
that the consumer will deal with
communication overload and con
fusion about conflicting
information.
Food tastes are changing. While
many ethnic groups settle in the
states, they not only continue to
cook some of their own traditional
dishes but also introduce these
foods to their friends and
coworkers.
“Our society adapts to the new
cultures by including dishes such
as Japanese stir fry, Italian, and
Mexican dishes in their diet.”
Consumers will continue to
become more sophisticated, more
impatient, more affluent, and more
powerful.
Laura Long-Lesher, communi
cations specialist with PDPP, told
the promoters how their 15 cents
per hundred weight dollars are
From left; Deann Hess, Farm Report producer of WGAL—TV; Betsy Dupuis, promo
tions specialist with PDPP; and Laura Long-Lesher, communications specialist with
PDPP review eye-catching ads that are geared toward today’s consumer.
helping promote products.
“The dairy case is the most pro
fitable part of the grocery store,”
she said. She recalled that the
REAL seal was stressed in the ear
ly ’Bos, but the emphasis has now
slacked off. ‘Tie it in with every
promotion,” she said.
She urged promoters to be crea
tive by focusing on local needs.
Lesher reported that at a recent
restaurant trade show, the dairy
stand was the hit of the show. By
promoting “Cheers non
alcoholic drinks, they found con
sumers are interested in them.
“Pregnant women need to drink
milk but no alcohol. They love
dairy Cheers.”
During a pomoter’s panel, coun
ty chairpersons reported on suc
cessful promotions in their coun
ties. Julie Greider from Lancaster
County reported that 132 T-shirts
for newborn babies were distri
buted during June dairy month.
Lebanon County reported success
with their Summer Love Tuesday
when kids help turn ice cream at
the local library, and ice cream and
ice cream scoops were raffled.
Berks County reported that the
sundae building at the Kutztown
Fair helped revitalize the Fair. The
promotion included games such as
a REAL tug with whipped cream
layered on concrete. Similar to a
tractor pull, contestants are pulled
WIFE Protests Cuts
OGALIALA, NE "Wife pro
tests the budget cuts made in the
new farm bill, “says Elaine Stuhr,
Bradshaw, NE, national president
of Women Involved in Farm
Economics.
“The industry that provides the
most abundant and affordable
food and fiber of any country in
the world is being treated unfairly
in the budget cutting process,”
says Stuhr. She asks, “What busi-
ness can survive if they receive
less today for their products and
efficiency than they did ten years
ago?”
‘The combination of low com
modity prices and increasing pro
duction costs are already creating
critical conditions for many far
mers,” adds Stuhr.
Stuhr points out, “The proposed
increase in user fees on dairy.
Help With Home Buying
WEST CHESTER (Chester
Co.) — “Steps for Homebuyers,” a
workshop series on how to buy a
house will be held Mondays,
November 5,12 and 19,7:00-9:30
p.m., at the Chester County
Cooperative Extension, 235 W.
Market Street, West Chester.
The three-evening series begins
Monday, November 5, with “Step
One: Finding a House to Fit Your
Budget” which includes advan-
tages and disadvantages of home
ownership, checking out the local
housing market, finding out about
financing, and setting realistic
expectations.
“Step Two: Sizing Up the
through the cream. Prizes were
free milk shakes from the milk
shake wagon.
Specialty items available for
promotion programs were intro
duced. Some of the items are for
tune cookies with dairy fortunes,
gigantic toothbrushes, recipes, and
Hershey chocolate cows, tins, and
a bam box.
Other workshops were led by
Deann Hess, Farm Report produc
er of WGAL-TV, on media
relations.
sugar, tobacco, peanut and honey
products will ultimately be passed
on to the consumer. Grazing fees
paid by ranchers leasing public
land are proposed to increase
more than 450 percent.”
‘These issues will be a high
priority of WIFE’S National Con
vention,” according to Stuhr. The
grassroots organization will meet
November 14 to 17, 1990 in Lin
coln, Nebraska.
JoAnn Smith, Assistant Secret
ary of Marketing & Inspection
(USDA), will keynote the conven
tion on November 14. Smith
served as president of the National
Cattlemen Association, was chair
man of the board for Federal
Reserve Bank, Jacksonville, Flori
da and served on the board of gov
ernors of Chicago Mercantile
Exchange.
Structure” will be held Monday,
November 12. Topics covered
include assessing structural qual
ity, checking out the electrical,
heating and plumbing systems,
and testing for radon.
The series concludes Monday,
November 19, with “Step Three;
Learning about the Purchase Pro
cess.” Working with a real estate
agent, understanding the paper
work, learning about legal aspects
and homeowner’s insurance will
be discussed.
For information, con
tact the Chester County Coopera
tive Extension at 215-696-3500.