After almost six years that the popular slogan “Got Milk?” was shelved, the campaign is now being brought back into the advertising scene, which aims to extend the current boost in sales among milk amid the health crisis. Thanks to Milk Processor Education Program’s (MilkPEP) efforts.
More milk
Sales for the milk had found solid ground in the pandemic after it has slumped for many years as the market competition multiplied and more people shift to other beverages like soda and soy milk. Last year, one of the large milk companies in the US, Dean Foods, had filed for bankruptcy protection. Shortly after, another major milk producer, Borden Dairy did the same.
2019 saw a decrease in milk sales in the US per a Nielsen report, but January to July of this year saw a boost of 8.3 percent to $6.4 billion. The Associated Press noted this increase in milk sales with more consumers needing milk to cook and bake as they are compelled to stay at home. What further buoyed retail sales was around March, with a year-over-year rise of 21 percent, as people are panic buying to stock up for the coming quarantine weeks.
Got MilkPEP
CEO Yin Woon Rani of MilkPEP, a milk companies-backed organization, said: “When things got tough, we saw Americans literally went out and got milk. And it wasn’t just they were drinking more of it. They were finding fun and surprising ways to use it.”
Rani also said that milk meets the needs of people in a pandemic, such as comfort, nutrition, and versatility.
Updated campaign
As the 27-year old “Got Milk?” campaign is now being revived, a different approach was taken this time. Previously, the quirky, iconic white milk mustache is sported by various celebrities, with the likes of Britney Spears and even Muppets’ Kermit the Frog. For this new era of milk advertising, the turn now goes to social media users, particularly video-sharing sites like Tiktok and YouTube.
New TV and digital commercial feature uploaded footages of regular people from around the internet. The videos include creatively featuring milk, of course. For example, Katie Ledecky, an Olympic gold medalist, earns a spot in the ad via #GOTMILKCHALLENGE TikTok clip. In it she swam across the pool while a glass of milk is balanced on her head.