“A magazine focussed upon winning sales, not awards,” was the brief. The target: a 30% average increase in retail sales year-on-year. It was exceeded.

The Cream was launched as a 12-page quarterly magazine, delivered free via milkmen to all doorstep customers of Dairy Farmers of Britain, the UK’s leading dairy farmers' co-operative and third largest milk processor. Every issue carried a tear-out order form.

In parts of the country sales more than doubled. With little other marketing activity the magazine was the obvious catalyst, while a notable increase in staff morale provided a happy bonus. Detailed sales analysis of products featured enabled constant fine-tuning of content and design. Budget constraints confined the magazine to just twelve pages, meaning that each one had to provide demonstrable benefit. Even the order form was the subject of intense scrutiny. Our total focus on retail sales also meant having to work hard to ensure that the magazine never simply turned into a leaflet.

A stylish square format was adopted to optimise production efficiencies, and because it was unusual. The Cream also featured a vertical perforation, to facilitate easy removal of the order form and recipe pages. Uncoated paper was used so that customers could write on the form in ball-point pen, but inevitably affected ink absorption and show-through, which had to be factored in to the design. Finally, the issue was wrapped in oxy-degradable flexene, to protect it from the elements and avoid clattering letterboxes at five o’clock in the morning!

“The Cream was a really clever idea, very well executed. It exceeded every target we set for it and is testament to the talents of Working Titles.”
Dairy Farmers of Britain