By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An innovative marketing initiative by the Midwest Dairy Assoc. (MDA) has won a prestigious award for bringing dairy producers’ stories more into focus for the American public.
The National Agri-Marketing Assoc. (NAMA) recently awarded MDA with a national first-place ranking for the dairy group’s “People Behind the Product” program in the category of producer-funded, consumer-directed public relations programs.
“People Behind the Product is an effort that showcases dairy producers and their commitment to their animals and the environment,” said Marla Behrends, industry relations manager for MDA. “It reaches important influencers in the nutrition community and consumers who attend events and activities within Midwest Dairy’s nine-state region.”
The contest attracted more than 1,200 entrants, each of whom had qualified for the prize by first winning a regional competition. MDA’s initiative was chosen from among seven national finalists.
In addition, a video component of MDA’s program, called “Who Are We? The People Behind the Product,” was one of eight national finalists in a separate category for audio/visual/electronic media. The video tells the stories of five Midwestern dairy farm families.
The video has won a total of four awards, including a 2006 Bronze Telly for outstanding video and film, a MarCom for outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals and a Platinum Best of Show Aurora in an independent international film and video competition.
A community relations component of the People Behind the Product initiative, SpeakOut!, provides training and resources to dairy farmers interested in hosting presentations on the facts of dairy farming with their community leaders. Since its December 2006 inception, more than 150 dairy farmers have spoken to more than 6,500 community leaders about modern dairy farming practices.
MDA is a nonprofit organization funded by dairy farmers to build demand for dairy products through integrated marketing, nutrition education and research. According to MDA, per capita consumption of milk has climbed to 605 pounds today compared with 522 pounds in 1983, when the national dairy checkoff program was launched.