Local Dairies Take to the Airwaves

Hood Unveils Educational TV Effort; Garelick Puts Humor on Radio
BOSTON-The milk wars have escalated, with the region’s top dairy producers-Garelick Farms and H.P. Hood-unfurling ad campaigns touting new products.
Hood, Chelsea, Mass., introduces its Simply Smart milk in a series of television and radio spots created by Partners & Simons, Boston. Garelick Farms, Franklin, Mass., is throwing ad dollars behind its single-serve drinks with ads from DDB in Dallas, which works for parent company Suiza Foods, also in Dallas.
Hood’s latest effort introduces “Answer Mom,” who explains in a lab, grocery store and her own home the benefits of the company’s products. She talks directly to the camera in one ad, to her son in another and to a grocery store clerk in a third.
The spokesperson also appears on a Web site, intended to educate consumers on the health benefits of dairy while providing “a venue for consumers to participate in a real dialogue” with Hood, said Jeffrey Stephen, the company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Simply Smart contains 20 percent more calcium and 25 percent more protein than regular milk.
Garelick has launched radio ads and in-store promotional materials touting its new lines of single-serve juice and milk-based drinks. Introduced last year, Garelick’s All-Natural Singles are being supported on the Red Sox radio network and elsewhere through mid-July, with in-store sampling taking place through the fall.
Humorous radio ads introduce Larry Kliest, identified as the head of new products at Garelick Farms. Kliest, one spot claims, was inspired to create single-serve portions after discovering a microscopic city of people while watering his spice garden. The tagline: “Garelick Farms’ All-Natural Singles. A man. A dream. A plastic bottle.”
All-Natural Singles, packaged to fit in car cupholders, are available in seven flavors, including kiwi strawberry, orange mango, iced tea and grape. Low-fat, milk-based products are available in flavors such as Colossal Coffee, Javacino and Awesome Strawberry Banana, as well as chocolate and whole-milk varieties.