IT'S THE CHEESE.

The California Milk Advisory Board's Real California Cheese campaign is said to be one of the most intensive marketing campaigns undertaken by any commodity marketing group in the country. The main goal is to create a new brand in consumers' minds that is identified by the Real California Cheese seal.

Driving the campaign is a high-profile advertising campaign that utilizes prime time and fringe television buys, as well as radio, billboard and magazine advertising, which reinforce the tagline It's The Cheese. Fall 2000 brought the introduction of a new television campaign emphasizing that the quality of the California milk makes for great Cheese. The humorous "Happy Cows" spots feature cows that illustrate how living in California has made them happy, with the theme: "Great Cheese Comes From Happy Cows. Happy Cows Come From California. Reel California Cheese. It's The Cheese."

One of CMAB's public relations programs features a new online California cheese class for professional chefs in conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Nappa, Calif. This online class discusses California cheeses and provides chefs with information on purchasing, storing and handling cheese, as well as incorporating California cheeses in menu planning and cheese courses. Professionals can find the class on the CIA's continuing education Web site at (www.ciaprochef.com).

"We have covered all of the areas that chefs typically ask us about concerning artisan cheeses, such as storage and handling, setting up a cheese service, even ideas for creating a cheese course," said Nancy Fletcher, director of communications for the Modesto, Calif.-based California Milk Advisory Board.