A glass of milk dips her toes in the dating pool in quirky ‘Got Milk?’ ad
A glass of milk is courted by a donut, hot dog, sushi roll and a host of other foods in a campaign for the California Milk Processor Board that aims to position the drink as a tasty addition to just about any meal.
The effort comes as dairy milk continues to face drastic sales declines in the US due to the rising popularity of plant-based offerings like almond milk. According to market research firm Mintel, sales of dairy milk in the US decreased seven percent in 2015 and are projected to drop another 11 percent through 2020.
The California Milk Processor Board’s latest ad, called ‘Love Stories,’ is part of its long-running ‘Got Milk?’ campaign that Goodby Silverstein & Partners helped it launch more than 20 years ago. The goal of the effort is to encourage Californians to embrace unexpected milk-and-food pairings, like using milk to cool down the palate after a plate of hot wings.
In addition to the film, print ads with the tagline ‘Food Loves Milk’ will be displayed in-store at supermarkets across California. Social media influencers will also be sharing their own love stories and romantic meal ideas that incorporate milk on their personal platforms.
"Emotions play a big role in the way we enjoy our food," said Steve James, executive director of the California Milk Processor Board, in a statement. "Whether it's the itch to try something new, an unexpected flavor that surprises your palate or wanting to share your latest pairing discovery with the world, we realized that enjoying food is a lot like dating, love and relationships. And naturally a glass of milk is the perfect companion for your next meal discovery—it just makes everything taste better."
In recent years, Goodby Silverstein & Partners’ work for ‘Got Milk?’ has focused on promoting the different ways that milk can be enjoyed. When Apple introduced the glass of milk emoji last year, the agency created a Twitter campaign for the brand that sent a “recipe for a dish that pairs perfectly with milk” to anyone who tweeted @GotMilk using the glass of milk emoji paired with another emoji. For example, people who tweeted the milk emoji plus the champagne bottle might have received a recipe for hangover chipotle chilaquiles.
Last year, the agency had a group of Boy Scouts sell milk next to a Girl Scout cookie stand to provide consumers with a one-stop shop for their cookie-eating needs.
