Why 'Got Milk?' still works, 25 years later

‘Got Milk?’ was the cream of the campaign crop in the 90s.

Americans were down on their dairy intake. And the industry's solution to this became one of the most famous ad campaigns in history.

One that had celebrities calling, begging to be included in the iconic Milk Moustache phenomenon that dominated print media at the time.

At the turn of the millennium, milk ads had taken over.

'Got Milk?' was printed on Oreo and Cheerio boxes. Even Mattel began producing Hot Wheels and Barbies with the famed slogan attached.

After a long run, the ad campaign was retired in 2014.

25 years has now passed since 'Got Milk?' entered public consciousness (yes, we are old.)

Plant based milks have plagued – I mean – overpowered the market.

And Big Dairy must have decided enough is enough.

Because last year, they revived the iconic motif in a campaign featuring Aubrey Plaza sporting a familiar creamy arc on her upper lip.

The return of 'Got Milk?' is a sign of the times. Floods, droughts, rising costs, infrastructure issues, and now alternative milks mean consumption culture has shifted away from dairy once again.

It's also an example of how to leverage cultural moments for campaign success.

One way to describe the 90s infamous ‘Got Milk?’ campaign is an unforgettable piece of advertising-turned-pop-culture.

You couldn’t open a People Magazine or a Parade without seeing a celeb donning a milk moustache. But the campaign actually began before such executions, in the form of bizarre government sponsored ads.

In the early 90s, Americans were dining out more than ever before, skipping home-cooked meals that would have usually been accompanied by a glass of milk (or juice.)

Not only this, but soda consumption was climbing steadily toward its peak. In 1998, Americans were drinking 53 gallons per capita.

Milk was being left behind, and desperately needed a rebrand.

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners were the agency that first came up with the idea that the campaign should leave out the 'it’s good for you, this is why you need it' BS. Instead, they decided focus on what life would be like without the staple beverage.

In one sketch, a man receives a surprise radio call offering him $10,000 to name Hamilton’s assassin. But because he’s eating a peanut butter sandwich and has run out of milk, he can’t answer properly.

Another ad was a dad who ran out of milk at breakfast time and had to decide whether the baby or the cat should sacrifice their meal for him.

The ads were as witty as they were weird.

Nonetheless, they got the attention of MilkPEP (a funded checkoff for milk buyers), who decided to join forces in the battle to make milk cool again (with celebrities and milk moustaches, apparently.)

Photographed by the Annie Leibovitz, the ads did not just harness celebrity worship. They curated it. Milk ads only featured stars that were at the peak of their popularity. Stars like Buffy’s Sarah Michelle Gellar, a smizing Tyra Banks, a skinny wee Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle, even Kermit The Frog.

The ads leveraged the star power of these cultural figures to turn audiences back to the creamy beverage.

Whether or not the campaign got people to drink more milk, its cultural impact is undeniable.

Got beer? Got Hair? Got Jesus? Copycats of the milky marketing were everywhere. By 1997, national awareness of ‘Got Milk?’ was pushing 90 percent.

Even still, the phrase rings through popular culture. That’s why MilkPEP knew it could still be used in 2023.

But, with a twist, of course.

‘Got Wood’ instantly outs itself as satire in the hilarious 1-minute commercial. ‘Have you ever looked at a tree and thought, can I drink this?’ Aubrey Plaza asks, identifying as the founder of a fictitious product called Wood Milk, 'The world’s first and only milk made from wood.'

Of course, this is a not-so-subtle jab at the plant-based milks taking over consumer preference right now.

'It’s squished into a slime that’s legal to sell,' she intones. Oh yeah, this is a dig.

The advertisement ends when she takes a big sip of chunky, sawdust filled 'milk' and looks to the camera with the tell-tale Milk-Stache. 'Is wood milk real? Absolutely not. Only real milk is real,' she says, then pauses. 'Then what did I invest in?!'

And thus the return of the infamous campaign, reinvented for the wildly different times we live in.

‘Got Milk?’ is a prime example of using your brand to impact culture.

In a case like this one, a campaign can have staying power that lasts decades.

Takeaways for brands:

Know your icons. Use cultural figures who will make your campaign memorable and relevant.

Have a laugh. Humour is such a necessary tool, especially when your subject matter doesn’t knock people's socks off (like milk). Aim to showcase relatable scenarios that play on our everyday experiences in a fun way.

Out with the old, in with the old? Finding ways to bring back old campaigns with a contemporary twist is a great way to evoke nostalgia while reflecting on current themes and trends. It’s also a great way to showcase how much has changed!

As for me? I’m a full fat, full cream, grass-fed kind of gal in full support of milk propaganda.

-Sophie, Writer