BC Dairy Association gets behind restaurants and kids in need of a good breakfast

Who: BC Dairy Association, with Taxi for strategy and creative, OMD for media, and Inventa as the experiential and activation partner.

What: “Wake Up to the Best,” a triple-purpose campaign promoting the BCDA brand and farmers, while also supporting the province’s hard-hit restaurant sector, and driving donations of meals to kids in need.

When & Where: The promotion runs from Nov. 30 until Dec. 27, with an introductory TV and radio ad followed by three additional spots.

Why: Early in the pandemic, BCDA launched “Here for you,” a campaign to reassure consumers of a safe and reliable dairy supply chain. This is the third iteration of that campaign.

“The restaurant angle is the focus with this particular campaign, because although people are cooking with more dairy while at home, restaurants are obviously suffering, and we rely on restaurants to use dairy products in the same way that they rely on us to always get it to them,” explains James Sadler, Taxi Vancouver’s executive creative director.

“The food service sector is critical to the success of BC dairy farmers. Supporting restaurants during this challenging time is very important for our business and the communities that dairy farmers serve,” added Jennifer Woron, director of marketing for BCDA.

How: The campaign connects the importance of breakfast (which often includes dairy) with restaurants as a source of the meal, and finally the need to give kids a healthy meal to start their day.

The anchor TV spot focuses on the many different ways people can enjoy a good breakfast, how that breakfast provides “energy to help take on anything, power to help make our day” and, finally, how dairy farmers help ensure that “everyone in every kitchen” can make that happen. The three follow-up ads focus on the key characters featured in the “Wake up to the Best” story:  a farmer, a restaurateur and a hungry diner.

The Breakfast Club donation program includes 32 restaurant locations across the province. Each has selected a menu item, and any time a customer buys that item, BCDA donates a meal to the charity.

“We want people to know that BC dairy farmers are committed to providing high quality dairy products and supporting their communities,” said Sadler. “We want to support the food and agriculture industry that we are a key part of. And we want to set up key partnerships with other businesses to set the foundation for a supportive industry—other restaurants and chefs, charities, etc.”

And we quote: “As an important industry in the food sector, BC Dairy partnered with local restaurants in hopes of boosting sales during this extremely challenging time for the food service sector. British Columbians can show their support of local restaurants by continuing to visit their favourite local eateries with their household members and by ordering take-out. When dairy farmers and restaurants can come together to support a great cause like Breakfast Club of Canada through a promotion like this, everyone wins.” — Jennifer Woron, director of marketing, BC Dairy Association

David Brown