Following a successful test in New England with Garelick Farms, Dean Food Co. has rolled out DairyPure to all of its 30-plus regional brands. In an interview with Dairy Foods, Dean VP of Marketing Greg Schwarz said DairyPure is the first nationally branded fresh white milk product.

 

The milk, sold in four fat levels in plastic and paper containers, uses the DairyPure logo along with the regional brand (such as Alta Dena, Deans, Garelick Farms, Mayfield or Meadow Gold). It is a similar strategy to TruMoo, Dean’s chocolate milk brand that was launched nationwide in 2011 and 2012. 

 

Dean Foods operates 68 manufacturing facilities in 32 states with distribution capabilities in 50 states. Net sales were $9.5 billion in 2014.

Advantages of creating a national brand for Dean include speaking with one voice and buying national advertising, Schwarz said. He pegged DairyPure as a $2.5 billion consumer packaged goods brand. Another benefit to owning a national brand is that it opens up promotional opportunities with marketers of products in adjacent categories, like breakfast cereals and cookies, Schwarz said.

 

Dean will support the brand with broadcast and cable television spots, print advertising, digital and social media ads, and public relations. The spending will be in the millions of dollars, but Schwarz declined to specify an exact number for competitive reasons.

 

Arriving at DairyPure involved a number of steps. The company first worked with its regional brands to transition to a common label in 2014. The label uses a red barn in a green field and a glass of milk, along with the logo of the regional brand. Taking into account the various fat levels (zero, 1%, 2% and whole), the formats and the brands, Dean had to transition more than 1,000 SKUs to DairyPure.

Following the fresh milk introductions, Dean will use DairyPure for lactose-free milk, buttermilk, creamers and school milk. The brand will be “an enabler” for innovation in dairy foods, Schwarz told Dairy Foods. He added the company is evaluating a similar strategy for its cultured dairy products and ice creams.

 

Based on feedback from its retail customers, Dean created one national UPC. That makes the brand easier to administer and allows retail customers to run their own national ads, Schwarz said.

 

To speak to consumers about the brand, Dean uses a “Five-Point Purity Promise:”

 

The cow’s diet is based on standards in the Food and Drug Administration’s Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, Schwarz said. As for freshness, the distance from dairy plants to retailers is less than 100 miles.