Free Range Butter - udder madness?

Here's the latest Anchor butter advertisement. The small print at the top says "Merry Christmas from The Free Range Butter Company".

Now why would Anchor advertise itself as free range, something we instinctively associate with animals which can be intensively farmed, not milk based products. The guess would be that Anchor have done market research and discovered that consumers, many of whom are increasingly concerned about animal welfare don't like the idea of milk from cows which are kept indoors all year round and never get to roam grassy pastures. Of course this does not happen in New Zealand, Anchor's home, but it does in the UK. So, Anchor now has a point of difference from British butters that they can use to build their brand.

And the moral of the story? All milk is not the same, and thinking about the link between production systems and consumer trends can point up opportunities to grow a business.