For dairy farmers, the idea of making every dollar count is nothing new. Whether it’s feeding decisions, equipment investments, or planning for the future of the farm, success often comes down to focusing resources where they can make the biggest impact. That same philosophy is shaping how Midwest Dairy approaches consumer marketing through its Key Markets consumer marketing approach.
Key Markets Approach
Midwest Dairy has identified five key consumer markets with the most potential for growing dairy demand among consumers — Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Tulsa. Together, these metro areas represent nearly 90% of the population within Midwest Dairy’s 10-state region. They are home to millions of consumers who influence grocery trends, restaurant demand, social conversations, and purchasing decisions that ultimately impact dairy sales.
For Midwest Dairy, the strategy is simple: if the goal is to grow dairy demand, the organization must focus efforts where the greatest number of consumers can be reached and influenced. That is where the Key Markets strategy comes into play.
Why This Approach
Rather than broadly spreading resources across all markets equally, Midwest Dairy is concentrating consumer-facing efforts in areas with the highest population density and the greatest opportunity for growth. The strategy allows checkoff investments to work harder by focusing on markets where consumer behavior can have a larger impact on overall dairy sales.
While most of Midwest Dairy’s consumer-facing investments will be concentrated within the key markets, many of these partnerships naturally extend beyond those metro areas. Retailers, influencers, and media partnerships often have broad footprints that reach consumers across Midwest Dairy’s entire 10-state region, helping amplify dairy messaging well beyond the core focus markets.
Another important factor behind the strategy is demographic change. Many of these metro areas are becoming increasingly diverse, with growing Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multicultural populations. These audiences bring different cultural traditions, purchasing habits, and perspectives around dairy. To remain relevant, dairy must continue showing up in ways that feel authentic and meaningful to a wide variety of consumers.
This strategic shift requires more than traditional advertising. Midwest Dairy’s work in these key markets includes building partnerships with retailers, restaurants, health professionals, schools, influencers, and community organizations. These partnerships help dairy appear in everyday moments where consumers are making decisions about what to eat, drink, and serve their families. Examples include collaborating with retailers on dairy promotions, working with foodservice operators to keep dairy-centered menu items visible, partnering with health experts to reinforce dairy nutrition messaging, and engaging trusted influencers who can help connect consumers to modern dairy farming and real dairy products.
The strategy is also grounded in data. While dairy consumption remains strong across much of the Midwest Dairy 10-state region, several major markets are currently underperforming in dairy consumption relative to their population size. In other words, there is still a significant opportunity to grow dairy sales within these urban areas.
Benefit for Dairy Farmers
For farmers, that opportunity matters. Every additional gallon of milk sold, every cheese purchase, and every consumer who chooses dairy over competing products contribute to long-term demand growth for the industry. By focusing on the markets where those gains can happen at scale, Midwest Dairy can create stronger returns on checkoff investment over time.
At its core, this strategy is about being intentional, strategic, and future-focused. Consumer habits are changing, media landscapes are evolving, and competition for attention is greater than ever. Midwest Dairy’s goal is to ensure dairy remains visible, relevant, and trusted in the places where purchasing decisions are happening every day.
Farmers work hard for every dollar, and Midwest Dairy believes checkoff investments should be treated with that same level of care and responsibility. The Key Markets strategy is designed to focus precious farmer resources where they can create the greatest return — reaching the consumers, communities, and conversations that have the biggest opportunity to grow dairy demand today and for the future.