Raisin & Greta the Cow Are Cooking; Cereal Cuts In on Promotional Dance

A California Dancing Raisin and cross-eyed Greta the Cow are rustling up a free, nutritious breakfast for hungry consumers.The California Raisin Advisory Board and the American Dairy Association have teamed up for the first time to offer a consumer rebate with the purchase of any brand of 24-ounce California raisins; any brand of milk (32 ounces or more); and any brand of cereal (with or without the raisins already added). "The three relationships are key to making this promotion work," says Todd Norgaard, director of domestic advertising and promotion at CALRAB, Fresno, Calif. The rebate, which can amount to as much as $4, is applied to a cereal purchase."Raisins are a commodity that can sit on a shelf for a while in people's homes," Norgaard says. "Milk, on the other hand, has a quick turnover -- there's an immediacy to the concept. And cereal is a good partner with its high profit margin for retailers."CALRAB has done a lot with cereal, and it was logical to bring in milk. We finished off the combination of raisins and cereal by adding milk. It does a lot to round out the promotion, and we hope it's one to be continued in the years to come," he adds.The national supermarket promotion features banners, case cards with take-one pads, shelf talkers and a smaller version of the case card for dairy cases. "Close to 80 percent of raisins are consumed before noon, and their No. 1 use is on cereal," Norgaard says. Consumers are also purchasing cereal products that include raisins in them, but many sprinkle additional raisins on those cereal selections. "It looks like those two scoops of raisins just aren't enough," he jokes."In terms of targeting usage," Norgaard adds, "we're trying to get more people doing what most people do. Our competition is not other breakfast foods. It's people skipping breakfast, which quite a large number of people do."The case cards are folded along all four sides to add a dimensional look. Pop-out feet support the card, which measures approximately 19 inches wide by 24 inches high. The shelf talker measures 7 inches wide by 2 inches high, and the paper banner is 36 by 7 inches. The tag line "Join us in a Power breakfast" is included on the banner and shelf talker. The reminder "Got Milk? Get Free Cereal. From the California Raisins" appears on the case card.Approximately 50,000 of each item were made available to supermarkets beginning in August. The promotion runs through December. The display items were designed by San Franciso-based Promotion Partnership. Graphic Center printed the case cards, while Cal Central printed the dairy banners, shelf talkers and take-one pads. Both printers are based in Sacramento, Calif.Advertising also will appear on the panels of milk cartons, all the way down to half-pint packages. "The public-service message stresses the importance of a good breakfast for good performance during the day," Norgaard says. "We've had good response from government agencies on the program, and we're hopeful the message will come through."According to a CALRAB sell sheet: "When reduced in price, prominently displayed and featured in an ad, milk has shown a 599 percent increase in sales, and cereal a 548 percent increase." The association is hoping the triple-commodity tie-in will prove equally successful, especially since the fourth quarter is the No. 1 quarter for raisin sales, Norgaard notes.

Raisin & Greta the Cow Are Cooking; Cereal Cuts In on Promotional Dance

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