BMP DDB account in balance as the Dairy Council changes its marketing strategy

The Dairy Council is looking for agencies to work on a project basis as part of a shift in its remit towards promoting the health and nutritional benefits that are provided by dairy products.

The move means the council has axed its The White Stuff generic campaign and that it will no longer retain an agency. It will instead work on a project-by-project basis.

It is not clear how this affects its relationship with BMP DDB, which has handled the advertising for the Dairy Council since 1987 and has just completed a press and internet campaign on its behalf.

A spokeswoman for the Dairy Council says that the move is not a review of its advertising arrangements, but that it reflects the way the council has moved away from being a marketing body.

The council’s marketing department was axed in July 2002, including marketing director Andrew Ovens, after milk processors refused to continue funding the &£9m generic campaign, The White Stuff (MW July 4, 2002).

The council will now rely on European funding, which is understood to be significantly less than it has spent in the past. It is thought that about 36m (&£4.2m) is available, but its counterparts in a number of different countries have also applied for the funding.