Got Milk?

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Got Milk? is a U.S. advertising campaign encouraging the purchase of cow's milk which was created by the agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors (the Milk Processor Education Program) and dairy farmers (Dairy Management Inc.). It has been running since October, 1993. The campaign in credited with resucitating milk sales nationwide after a 20-year slump.

The original TV commercials featured ordinary people in various situations involving dry or sticky foods and treats such as peanut butter and cookies. The person then finds himself in a disastrous situation due to an overfull mouth and a distinct lack of milk. The commercial would then end with the words: "Got Milk?"

The first "GOT MILK?" ad, titled "Aaron Burr," aired in October, 1993. It featured a hapless history buff who could not answer a radio station's trivia question ("Who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duel?") because his mouth was full of peanut butter and his answer was unintelligible. He had run out of milk and was unable to wash it down in time to win a $10,000 prize.

The ad, directed by Oscar-nominated Hollywood director Michael Bay, dominated the advertising industry's award circuit in 1994. In 2002, the ad was named one of ten best commercials of all time by a USATODAY.com poll, and was run again nationwide that same year. It has since been featured in numerous books on advertising and is being used in case studies at top-flight MBA programs around the country.

The ad campaign's second phase included celebrities from the fields of sports, media and entertainment, as well as fictional characters from TV and film such as The Simpsons and Batman, posing in print advertisements sporting a painted-on "milk mustache," employing the slogan, "Where's your moustache?." Later ads returned to the older and better-known, "Got Milk?" slogan.

In 1998, Ballantine Books, a subsidiary of Random House, published "The Milk Moustache Book" [1] containing many of the popular ads.

According to the GOT MILK? Website [2], the campaign has over 90% awareness in the US and the tag line has been licensed to dairy boards across the US since 1995. "GOT MILK?" is a powerful property and has been licensed on a range of consumer goods including Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels, baby and teen apparel and kitchenware. The line, which is trademarked by the California Milk Board, has been widely parodied by groups championing a variety of causes.

In 2006, the GOT MILK? campaign went after a new demographic with a series of Spanish-language "TOMA LECHE" ads, in which milk is touted as a "wonder tonic" with muscle and hair building qualities. [3]

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Controversy

The campaign caused controversy among some African Americans, who claim that the advertisements are racist since, although they are not targeted specifically at African Americans, they encourage African Americans to drink milk despite the fact that 90% of African Americans lack the gene to digest lactose, the key sugar in milk. [4]

In 2004, a controversial non-profit group opposed to the use of animal products as food, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, attacked the campaign as a "propaganda blitz" and criticized claims that milk promotes weight loss. [5]. In 2006, the group sued major grocery stores and dairy producers calling on milk to carry warning labels for the lactose intolerant.

Controversy also erupted over the ads during post-season play of Major League Baseball (MLB) in October, 2005. Filmed at Labatt Memorial Park -- the World's Oldest Baseball Grounds in London, Ontario, Canada, dating back to 1877 -- the ads spoofed past steroid scandals in MLB by showing ballplayers using "performance-enhancing substances," in this case milk.

Major League Baseball was not amused, but the vast majority of 23,000 respondents to a Houston-based online poll found the advertisements funny and felt that they should remain on the air.

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Celebrities endorsing the campaign

The first celebrity to endorse the milk moustache campaign was supermodel Naomi Campbell. One advertisement featuring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen was dropped due to Mary-Kate Olsen suffering from anorexia.

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Celebrities

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Movie stars

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Television stars

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Television personalities

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Musicians

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Fictional Characters

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Sports stars

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Models

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External links

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