The American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI), an Elmhurst, Ill.-based dairy industry trade association, announced a “pan-industry” campaign to communicate positive and factual information relative to dairy ingredients and specifically dairy proteins.

ADPI said its board of directors recognized a void in the industry’s messaging and communication of dairy protein ingredients in foods and beverages. It commissioned a task force comprising members who volunteered to evaluate the opportunity and recommend an action plan. Padilla — a global public relations and communications firm — and its FoodMinds division were selected to work with the ADPI task force to execute a fact-based, integrated strategic digital communications program, known as the Dairy Protein Messaging Initiative (DPMI).

“This Dairy Protein Messaging Initiative will be proactive and positive in its approach with the goal of providing factual information relative to the value and benefits of dairy proteins — milk proteins, whey proteins — and dairy ingredients to consumers,” said Blake Anderson, ADPI’s president and CEO. “The campaign will be creative, as we primarily need to appeal to the emotions of those consumers who are switching to alternative proteins. Fresh messages and a new approach will be key to the success of the campaign.”

DPMI will not malign alternative proteins nor agriculture, but will refute misinformation that is often communicated by “alternative protein” product marketers toward dairy ingredients and dairy proteins, which is both confusing and misleading to consumers, ADPI said.

Anderson said many of the positive attributes of dairy proteins, backed by years of research with qualitative and quantitative studies, are being misapplied to “alternative protein” ingredients in an attempt by some marketers to convince consumers that all proteins are equal in functionality and nutritional value.

“This is just simply not true,” he said. “Our goal through this campaign is to provide factual information in an engaging and compelling way to enable consumers to make informed decisions as to their ‘protein of choice’ relative to their health, nutrition and overall well-being.”

The DPMI task force, comprising key ADPI members and industry supporters, is already working closely with Padilla/FoodMinds in developing and testing the campaign’s messaging content and delivery methodologies, with a key focus on digital and social media that will target women, millennials and “key influencers” of consumers, relative to food and beverage consumption, ADPI said.

Precompetitive by design, DPMI is open to all dairy-centric companies and organizations to join and support. For more information or to learn how you can help support the DPMI, please contact Beth Holcomb, director of member communications, at info@adpi.org or (630) 530-8700, ext. 228.