Milk Wars Down Under
As towns across Australia developed from the early days of settlement, states and territories were formed that established different local laws and ways of communicating. As the population grew, some of the legacies of this early period became an insuperable handicap, and remain so even today.
The humble milk industry did not escape the tyranny of regional rule until 1998, when the milk market was de-regulated.
National Foods, an Australian Top 100 company with market leadership in four Australian states, decided to push its Pura milk brand into New South Wales (NSW). Dairy Farmers had traditionally dominated the NSW market, and National Foods knew its launch would face stiff opposition.
Olympic swimming gold medalist Kieran Perkins, who had only been used in mainstream TV ads, was chosen as spokesperson. In the lead-up to deregulation, National Foods spent millions of dollars on TV spots featuring Perkins to create awareness for its brands.
Sydney-based Maynards Promo Marketing was commissioned for the launch. Rather than pump all resources into TV ads, we presented a two-year campaign designed to maximize every promotional element in the marketing mix by focusing on “big idea” creativity.
In late 1997, all Pura Milk marketing resources were combined into a fully integrated program that hit in the six months before deregulation. Market leader Dairy Farmers soon entered the fray, and the “Milk Wars” began in earnest.
We teamed Perkins with Australia’s leading nutritionist, Rosemary Stanton, to develop the Word on Health campaign. This involved a series of health and fitness editorial messages broadcast each morning during the news on leading FM radio stations. The messages were repeated on-pack with smoothie milk drink recipes and integrated at point-of-sale. Demonstrators made smoothies in-store, and leaflets in-store and in magazines and newspapers supported.
We hired Sega World, at the time Sydney’s newest entertainment complex, to be the exclusive presenter to vendors. The brand held Family Brunches for both existing vendors and potential post-deregulation accounts.
The campaign crossed into 1998 with a blitz that targeted 25-to-39-year-old working women at transit stations, offices, and gyms. Carefully selected and dressed Pura Taste Reward Teams gave tastings at offices and businesses, offering two Pura Milk cartons for one opposition brand to replace the milk in the office fridge. This was backed up with exclusive Pura movie previews for key office staff. Kieran and Rosemary announced team locations on air daily.
Key retailers introduced cashbacks on Pura Milk later in 1998. Regional radio promotions, combined with newspaper ads and publicity offered buy-one-get-one-free trial offers. Pura sponsored the top-rated FM radio station’s breakfast program and major sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games.
Key personalities read live spots on mainstream and ethnic stations under the tag “Your white to choose.” This gave the effect of media endorsements, overshadowing the big dollars Dairy Farmers spent on new TV campaigns.
As a grand finale, we launched a major promotion in Sydney’s outer suburban area. Lead-in radio spots on Sydney’s leading station promoted a beach-themed listener breakfast “brought to you by Pura Milk” that was broadcast live. An on-pack sweepstakes generated 600,000 entries and ended with a live drawing from the back of a Pura Milk refrigerated van.
At the end of the two-year campaign, Pura had full distribution through major retail outlets and opposition milk vendors. The most important achievement was getting consumers to think of Pura brands as daily beverages for their lifestyle and not just for breakfast.
