A new campaign from a trio of Western Canadian dairy associations is making clear the direct link between their products and several culinary staples of the South Asian community ahead of Diwali.

The campaign, developed by Ethnicity Matters for B.C. Dairy, Alberta Milk and SaskMilk, speaks to the more than half of ethnic consumers who are drinking dairy milk – white or flavoured – outside of meal occasions, according to the agency’s research.

This includes the use of dairy in key cultural staples such as chai (tea), dahi bhalla (lentil fritters with yoghurt) and kheer (rice pudding), which feature in the campaign.

“While dairy consumption is a universal practice, the ways in which we consume it are extremely unique and personal,” says Bobby Sahni, partner and co-founder of Ethnicity Matters. “We wanted to spotlight the uniqueness of our cultural preferences and taste buds. Putting these distinct cultural recipes front and centre in a campaign not only reminds ethnic consumers of all the ways they’ve loved dairy, it invites a broader Canadian audience to discover new ways to connect with dairy products.”

“Nearly 70% of the groups we surveyed said they enjoy using dairy products in the special meals they prepare during the holidays,” says Jennifer Woron, director of market development for B.C. Dairy. “We know there’s an opportunity for us to meaningfully connect with them as we support their cultures.”

The Diwali campaign launched on Oct. 30 through a mix of TV, OLV, social and digital placements. It is running for four weeks, according to Sahni, although the “Our Milk. Our Way.” creative platform under which this campaign has been launched will continue through the year with modifications “to celebrate additional cultural days of significance.”

“This new campaign is a year-round platform meant to engage ethnic consumers on milk consumption, on their terms, their way,” says Sahni. “But research also shows that while dairy consumption is rising in immigrant source countries, it tends to dip amongst newly immigrated Canadians. This new strategy and creative platform is in response to that business challenge.”