How Do Dairy Brands Moo-ve With The Times?

12th March 2024

With the recent explosion of off-shoot non-dairy products to cater for the ever-growing market of veggie, vegan or simply eco-conscious amongst us, the once titan of the monopolised industry (cow’s milk and associated products), has had to pull their figurative socks up to maintain relevance and dominance in the marketplace. 

Cow’s milk, at one time sitting pretty in terms of nutritional perceptions and a general trust amongst gatekeepers, has fallen foul of general consensus, particularly among the coveted GenZers whose marketing habits and opinions are given more credence than their predecessors. 

In fact, recent research has shown that ‘only 34% of Gen Z adults prefer to drink cow’s milk compared with 81% of people aged 55 and older’, emphasising this shift in the market.

The Rise In Popularity Of Alternate Milks: What’s A Cow To Do?

Alternate milks, such as oat and nut-based milks, have forged a space for themselves with GenZ, lapping up the hip perception that surrounds them. See Oatly and their graffiti/Basquiat-style packs. 

Milk’s best bet is to stay in its lane as the trusted family favourite. But how can they achieve this? 

Below, we look at a few methods traditional dairy brands are using to stay relevant. These methods include, but are not limited to:

  1. Entertainment partnerships
  2. Sports partnerships
  3. Loyalty 

1. Entertainment Partnerships

IP partnerships are a fantastically cost effective way to establish or reinforce a personality for dairy brands, and entertainment IPs have enjoyed a long and successful kinship.

These include Cravdendale’s on-going partnership with firm family favourite, The Gruffalo, to Lancashire Dairies’ many character based licence fee free film partnerships (Matilda, Peter Rabbit, Hotel Transylvania 3 and The BFG among them). 

By working with recognised film IP, dairy brands can stand out on the shelf amongst competitors and benefit from that all important pester power.

To learn more about the power of partnerships, read our blog on the benefits of partnership marketing here. 

2. Sports Partnerships

A great partnership should also be reflective of a brand’s core principles and benefits.

Calcium building products have a natural synergy then, with the world of sports. 

Müller has been at the forefront of sports partnerships for well over a decade.

From being an official team GB partner to their most recent football boots giveaway or their partnership with Arsenal’s rising star, Declan Rice, Rice, Rice, Baby has successfully used sports partnerships to stay relevant and appealing.

3. Loyalty 

An alternative approach is to drive retention. Over the past decade, Yeo Valley have created and built one of the most established, cost effective and genuinely rewarding loyalty programmes with their Yokens scheme. 

The venture has developed to suit a myriad of tastes where Yokens can be claimed against Gaming, high or low value prizes, discounts and even a donations scheme where Yeo Valley affiliate with an ever-changing roster of charities. 

There’s truly something for everyone and an engaging reason for customers to remain loyal to the brand. 

There are plenty of ways for dairy brands to stay relevant and retain market share to help stem the tide towards new alternate milks and non-dairy products. 

How Lime Can Help

We are Lime, an independent partnership and sales promotion agency based in London. We offer an end to end sales promotion service from idea generation to prize fulfilment. 

Our sales promotion team work with FMCG brands to create smart promotional campaigns, helping our clients to create on-pack promotions that achieve incremental space and stand out in store.

With our unique partnerships expertise, we are able to help brands unlock relevant prizes, incentives and offers from a wide range of sectors, including film and entertainment, gaming, as well as the travel and leisure sector.

If you’re interested in learning more about the services that we offer, please get in touch with a member of our team today at 02073179280 or email Charlie@wearelime.co.uk.

And for more insights, check out our blog page, including articles such as The Power of Partnerships and What Is The Perfect Film Partnership?.