WASHINGTON -- With a new chocolate-milk campaign launching March 18, MilkPEP, a group funded by the nation's milk processors and committed to increasing fluid milk consumption, issued a list of five reasons convenience retailers should stock chocolate milk in their stores.
On Wednesday, March 18, MilkPEP will launch a Built With Chocolate Milk campaign to build on the growing awareness of chocolate milk as an effective post-workout recovery beverages for athletes and anyone who exercises. The campaign will include national advertising and marketing support along with robust long-form video and social content that taps key sporting events and features top professional athletes all year long, according to MilkPEP.
MilkPEP also announced a new partnership with NBA star Kevin Love, who will now star in the national Built With Chocolate Milk TV, print and digital campaign. Fans will learn the secret to his rebounding skills that started when his mom gave him chocolate milk following his basketball games as a kid. The 30-second TV spot (see below) pits Love against a basketball-shooting robot that tests his standout rebounding skills by rapidly firing numerous shots. Ultimately, Love defeats the machine by pulling down every rebound until the robot burns out.
As for the top-five list of reasons to have chocolate milk in your store:
- Yearlong business opportunity. The new national campaign is part of a long-term, multimillion dollar, multichannel strategy to inspire athletes to perform at their best and recover with low-fat chocolate milk. By increasing the number of athletes and everyday exercisers who include chocolate milk as part of their post-workout routine, the campaign will help drive demand, consumption and sales of chocolate milk. According to USDA and IRI data, single-serve flavored milk sales in convenience stores were up year over year in 2014 despite a 10% price increase.
- Strategic alignment with key sporting windows. The campaign will partner with top professional athletes during their peak seasons to create breakthrough digital content that will authentically bring to life the recovery benefits of chocolate milk.
- Broader athlete target. Chocolate milk has a long history as a top post-workout recovery beverage among elite athletes. This year, the Built With Chocolate Milk campaign will extend its reach to connect and educate everyday exercisers on the benefits of low-fat chocolate milk. Professional athletes will share the inside scoop on their training and recovery routines with chocolate milk.
- Increase awareness of the post-workout recovery benefits of chocolate milk. Research shows awareness of the campaign is strong and growing. The program has generated 364 million earned media impressions since April 2013. And adult exercisers aware of the campaign are 60% more likely to recall “the benefit of drinking chocolate milk after exercise” than those unaware. Additionally, results for 2014 show that the campaign awareness had a positive effect on moving chocolate milk consumption: 17% of adult exercisers who are aware of the campaign had consumed milk in the past day, compared to 6% of those who were unaware of the campaign (Radius research, Q3’14). Retailers can tap into this business opportunity by stocking their dairy aisle with chocolate milk for adult athletes.
- Improved perception of chocolate milk as a recovery beverage. Athlete trust and scientific credibility is at the core of the Built With Chocolate Milk campaign and continues to help inspire everyday athletes to run to retail for this recovery beverage of choice. Research shows that adult exercisers aware of the campaign are 52% more likely to agree with the benefit of chocolate milk helping them to recover after exercise than those who are unaware (Radius research, Q3’14).
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.