Prioritizing protein in everyday eating has become widely mainstream. According to Mintel research, “protein is a major purchase driver within cheese overall: 71.94% of US consumers say a ‘protein’ claim is important.” Among yogurt consumers, protein is the #1 benefit driving consumer choice. At the same time, shoppers are increasingly drawn to natural, minimally processed foods, fueling renewed demand for dairy staples such as cottage cheese and yogurt.
Power Your Day with Protein at Dierbergs
Midwest Dairy partnered with Dierbergs Markets out of St. Louis, MO, for a protein-focused campaign in January and February. This campaign featured cottage cheese as the star, highlighting its nutritional benefits and how it can be enjoyed in a sweet or savory way. Dierbergs worked with local processor Prairie Farms to feature a Protein Dill Dip recipe that they developed.
Tactics included in the campaign were:
- Weekly feature page in Jan. 27 and Feb. 3 ads. These pages highlighted dairy messaging and rewards promotions supported by the dairy category manager.
- In-store dairy case signs
- Bonus points signage in store
- Influencer post on social media with an additional yogurt + cottage cheese recipe
- Deal and rewards email on Feb. 3
This campaign reached over 500,000 Dierbergs shoppers and delivered 124,984 incremental pounds of milk.
Schnucks promotes dairy in January and February
In early 2026, Midwest Dairy and Schnucks Markets partnered on a campaign to drive dairy sales. This campaign focused on two key purchase drivers: protein in January and enjoyment in February. As part of the February activation, the dairy category manager supported with a strong offer boost of “Earn $5 in rewards when you spend $25 on cheeses in the dairy department”. Several tactics were included in this activation:
- AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) Email Campaign – Jan. 1 – 31
- This was a test-and-learn opportunity to see how AI-generated emails would drive dairy category sales. With the support of the dairy category manager, 93 SKUs were provided at a 5-10% discount. Emails were sent out weekly in January to Schnucks rewards members with coupons generated based on their purchase history over the past 6 months. Dairy messaging and creative were also included in these emails.
- Results:
- For every $1 spent, the emails delivered $11.70 in sales – Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
- For every $1 spent, the emails delivered $2.40 in incremental sales (iROAS).
- Retail Media Network (RMN) is an advertising platform owned by a retailer that allows brands to purchase ad space directly on the retailer’s digital and physical space.
- Jan. 14 – Feb. 10: Four weeks of RMN ads ran showcasing offers provided by the dairy category manager (vendor yogurt offers first two weeks and cheese offer boost final two weeks).
- Results –
- ROAS: 148.7
- iROAS: 7.4
- Around 9.8% of total sales during this time period were a result of seeing the RMN media.
- Weekly ad spotlight and recipe takeover email blast featuring cheese offer boost.
- Recipe email open rate was 59.5%, exceeding Schnucks benchmark of 58.5%
- Recipes included: Pepperoni Pizza Dip and Loaded Game-Day Tots
This campaign drove total incremental pounds of milk sales of 137,635. While this campaign did not meet our ROI objectives, we will use the lessons learned here to enhance future activations with Schnucks in June and September!
Cub Foods fuel high-protein wins
In January, Cub Foods partnered with Midwest Dairy to promote its selected private label cottage cheese and yogurt, emphasizing real dairy as an affordable, high-quality protein for health-conscious shoppers.
The multi-channel campaign – social, onsite paid search, digital inserts, in-store signage, and banner ads – drove measurable impact across awareness, engagement, and conversion. Campaign results included:
- 20K+ shoppers reached and 553K+ impressions delivered
- 229 post engagements and 51 add-to-carts from social
- $7,776 in attributed sales
- Paid search drove most sales and volume
- 69,324 incremental pounds of milk generated
As consumers increasingly prioritize protein, natural ingredients, and functional nutrition, dairy – especially cottage cheese and yogurt – is reclaiming relevance. This campaign demonstrates how aligning with those trends can drive both shopper engagement and measurable category growth.