DDB Canada Named AOR For Milk West's Fluid Milk Account

Agency charged to develop marketing communication campaigns to help increase milk consumption across Western Canada

VANCOUVER, July 4, 2012 /CNW/ - Milk West, a new partnership comprised of Alberta Milk, BC Dairy Association, Dairy Farmers of Manitoba and SaskMilk, today named DDB Canada's Vancouver office as its Agency of Record (AOR).  DDB Canada was named AOR following a competitive pitch process involving nine other agencies that started in April 2012.  Together, Milk West and DDB Canada commence work immediately developing marketing communications across the west to help increase the consumption of fluid milk.

"We are thrilled with our decision of choosing DDB Canada and are excited to get started on this new venture as a unified Milk West partnership," says Katherine Loughlin, market development manager, Alberta Milk.

"The team at DDB Canada impressed us with their solid understanding of our business, and the clever long-term strategy they presented to help increase fluid milk consumption across Western Canada," adds Anita Medl, marketing manager, SaskMilk.

Recognizing the inherent strengths in working together as a cohesive group, Milk West was developed in response to dairy producers wishing to create efficiency and effectiveness in milk marketing communications across the west.  With each provincial organization having equal status, the team includes a variety of professionals with expertise in various areas of marketing communications.  Most recently, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) joined this relationship to develop an English Canada milk campaign.

Prior to the decision to choose one AOR for the Milk West partnership, BC Dairy Association held a 10-year agency relationship with DDB Canada, and the three Prairie Provinces or P3, (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan), held a 10-year agency relationship with Dare/Cossette.

"We are extremely proud and honoured to have worked with Dare/Cossette for so many years.  They created great award-winning work that generated measurable results for us at P3," says Jason Brandes, market development director, Dairy Farmers of Manitoba.

All parties in the Milk West partnership have enjoyed agency relationships that span a decade or more; testimony to their belief in the power of a long term, mutually respectful and beneficial relationship with an agency partner.

"It is our intention to enter into a new agency relationship with DDB Canada," says Liz Gurszky, Marketing Director, BC Dairy Association.

"From the outset, this process was viewed as an opportunity to set a new path for the future of the four western provinces, not a continuation of past relationships and working arrangements," adds Robin Smith, executive director, BC Dairy Association.

"We are proud to have been named 'Agency of Record' for Milk West," says Lance Saunders, executive vice president managing director, DDB Canada.  "Turning milk consumption around is an interesting and unique challenge and we are honoured to have the opportunity to demonstrate that we can do it."

About Milk West:
The Milk West Marketing Partnership (MWMP) is comprised of Alberta Milk, BC Dairy Association, Dairy Farmers of Manitoba and SaskMilk. Recently dairy farmers in these four western provinces approved the partnership to develop marketing communications campaigns across the west in order to build the consumption of fluid milk.

About DDB Canada:
DDB Canada is the most creatively acclaimed, internationally recognized marketing communications agency in Canada. Known for advertising that generates significant results for clients, DDB Canada is a "total communications company" whose fundamental belief is that creativity is the most powerful force in business. DDB Canada has offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. The agency's integrated groups include: DDB Kid Think (youth marketing), DDB Public Relations, Tribal DDB (digital), Karacters Design Group, Rapp Canada (direct), Radar DDB (social media), DDB Hodes Recruitment Communications (recruitment marketing) and Shopper DDB (shopper marketing).

Paige Calvert
Director of Corporate Communications, DDB Canada
[email protected]
604.608.4421