Hy-Vee Hype
Social media cooks promote Dinner Bell Creamery butter availability in grocery stores
What do a Missouri dad and an Iowa special education teacher have in common? Each moonlights as a food influencer, sharing recipes and preparation tips with thousands of consumers who follow them on social media. More importantly, they agree every recipe is better with butter.
In June, these cooks were among the food influencers helping AMPI spread the word about the arrival of Dinner Bell Creamery butter at Hy-Vee grocery stores. Five Midwest-based cooks were recruited to share butter-laden recipes in social media videos.
“It’s no secret I’m obsessed with Dinner Bell Creamery, a farmer-owned dairy co-op based right here in Minnesota. And their high-quality butter is now available at Hy-Vee,” gushed “twenty-something gal” Jess Larson, the Minneapolis cook behind @playswellwithbutter.
Family mealtime expert Emily Dingmann, another Minnesotan, added: “You can taste the quality in this exceptional butter.” Followers of @myeverydaytable watched her demonstrate how to make a lemon and dill compound butter.
While sharing her recipe for Cherry Pie Bars on her page, @bluebowlrecipes, Wisconsin baker Stephanie Simmons told followers, “These bars are extra delicious thanks to Dinner Bell Creamery’s award-winning salted butter, crafted for over half a century by hard-working farm families.”
Iowa special education teacher Natalie Whelchel encouraged her followers to use Dinner Bell butter to make Brown Butter Waffles. She demonstrated the recipe on her @livinginmidwest Instagram channel.
To encourage video viewers to try the AMPI brand, each influencer conducted a contest to give away Dinner Bell butter and a $100 Hy-Vee gift card. The promotion also earned followers for Dinner Bell’s own social media channels.
The contest was a favorite among followers of Luke Brown, a teacher and father of two. Dinner Bell unsalted butter is a key ingredient in his recipe for Gooey Butter Cake shared on @cookinginthemidwest, a video viewed more than 800,000 times.
AMPI recruited Midwest-based food influencers to share butter-laden recipes via social media videos. Their creative content helped spread the word about the arrival of Dinner Bell Creamery products at Hy-Vee grocery stores.
Maintaining momentum
The June promotion helped to hype Hy-Vee as a new outlet for the AMPI dairy farmer-owned brand. But members’ help is still needed to build on the momentum and create more demand for Dinner Bell products.
“No kind of promotion beats having a local dairy farmer telling their neighbors, friends and family that your brand — the Dinner Bell Creamery brand — is made from your milk and available locally,” said Sarah Schmidt, vice president of marketing. “Every member should take this opportunity to be a salesperson for your brand.” DD
