You’ve made it!!! Yippee! Hip, hip, hooray! Last PR Writing blog of the semester!
Source: http://www.guiaplanning.com/802/
The “Got Milk” ad campaign using celebrity endorsers has generated quite a bit of
awareness and media coverage over the years. Do you think the campaign has been
successful in increasing the consumption of milk, or is it a case of where everyone
enjoys the ads but don’t really use the product? Respond and
defend your point of view.
Gina Luttrell 
I feel that the “Got Milk?” ads have definitely made a statement but I don’t necessarily find that they are effective. I think that it is extremely notable that they have gotten so many celebrities to endorse their ads and even put quotes by the celebrities on the ads and they mean well, but speaking personally I don’t drink more milk because I saw these ads. If anything, throughout the years I have become accustomed to seeing these ads and they don’t grab my attention any more.
Ads that generate attention, for me, are also a call to action. These ads grab my attention, keep my attention and then make me want to do something about it. For example, say a Target commercial comes on and it has a catchy song on and a catchy theme and it grabs my attention. Then they play it again, or play another commercial with the same vibe, they’re keeping my attention. Then when I think of where I’m going to go to buy some new shoes or my nieces birthday present I automatically think Target.
The “Got Milk?” ads don’t drive me to go or anywhere or do anything about it. Milk is an essential staple in most people’s diets anyways so it’s not something we’re learning. If it was something like “Got Yams?” I might look into it further because I don’t have any prior knowledge whatsoever as to what the nutritional benefits of yams are, but an ad campaign listing all of the essential nutrients a yam can give me might make me give yams a chance. We all know what milk is all about, we all know it’s healthy for us, our Mom’s made us drink it when we were little, we try to drink it now that we’re older, it’s old news.
I agree with you about the ads definitely making a statement. I don’t think the ads draw attention as much as they used to like you said. Maybe the ad campaign went on too long? I’m not even sure if it is still going on? Like I mentioned in my post I think the campaign was a good idea and may have worked in the beginning. It also still has some people today saying “got milk” so it definitely has stuck with most people. I liked the point you made about advertisements generating attention. We have all had those catchy jingles stuck in our head all day because it works. Your “got yams” idea was good too because not many people such as yourself know much about yams and it could get them to look into it further. We do know more about milk than we do yams because we were told it’s healthy at a young age.
I totally agree! I think that these are well known ads but don’t necessarily do maybe what they are hoping. Like you said these have been around for awhile know and the don’t catch my attention anymore. I will say that they have done a good job with getting it stuck in our heads, I mean you see the “Got___” every where.
I think if they want to increase milk sales thought they need to come up with a new tactic because this just doesn’t seem to be working.
If you were given the assignment, “How would you promote milk?”, would you consider this a tough assignment? This is the question I asked myself, and it was a difficult dilemma to fathom. Not every product PR professionals have to endorse is an easy sell, and I think this was a good example of a tough sell. For the subject matter that was being dealt with, I think this was a pretty good execution of a PR campaign. But, I do agree wholeheartedly the results from sales probably did not match they hype.
That’s a really good point! They got really creative with something as simple as milk. They could have just listed off the benefits of drinking milk and how it can keep you healthy, but instead they put a spin on it. I mean that milk mustache was popular for so long! If it were my job as PR professional to promote milk I know I would struggle, I might be able to come up with a catchy song at best. The “Got Milk?” campaign did do a great job and I think their persistence is what got them so popular. However, I don’t believe their increased the sales of milk by very much.
I think with the “got milk” ad campaign that it is more along the lines of the ads being enjoyed but not necessarily driving the consumption of milk higher. But, I will say this, I think when these ads first came out I bet they did increase milk consumption some because it was all new. I also think many parents may have used this to their advantage when it came down to getting their child to drink milk. They could of said well so and so (celebrity) drinks milk and if the child sees their favorite actor or professional athlete drinking the milk they could be more prone to do so themselves. As for right now everyone knows of the phrase “got milk” it has become so popular that we all remember that saying. In that regards I think the milk industry or whoever put out the ads did a great job getting people to remember their slogan. This also shows how the campaign was more about the ads themselves than people drinking more milk. They don’t really use the product the ad campaign was all about. On a side not I thought I had read or heard that the mustache’s the celebrities have in the advertisements is not even from drinking milk it’s from drinking something else.
I know for myself the ads didn’t get me to drink more milk, but I would say the campaign was successful. To this day I think you still hear the “got milk” being said. In that sense the campaign was a success but as far as getting people to drink more milk I don’t think it worked.
Definitely, these ads are more enjoyed then they are successful. I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t hear the phrase “Got Milk?” I feel like its always been a think. So you’re right on with saying the did a good job getting us to remember it, I mean it’s even used in other ways, not just with milk.
I also totally agree that parents probably used this to their advantage, I mean they still could. Kids love to do what grown ups are doing, especially if its a grown up they look up to.
Also I am sure the mustaches aren’t really milk, it is most likely make up that they have put on. There is no way that a milk mustache would be that prominent!
In regards to your side note I had heard the same thing about the milk mustaches in the ads not really being milk only I heard it was just white paint or something instead of milk or something they consumed. In response to your point about the beginning of the ad campaign you made a great point, a point I hadn’t thought of! What about in the beginning? I think you’re onto something here because guaranteed the campaign did generate a lot of buzz in the beginning. That being said did sales increase? Perhaps. Also another valid point with kids responding well to their favorite celebs. It must’ve given a lot of parent’s good leverage in their personal or family milk campaigns. Maybe this is just a case of an ad campaign gone long, too long. Maybe they should’ve run the campaign for a shorter period of time, but when it is addressing a subject like milk consumption, when do we know when to stop? Or do we keep running it even if it has lost the majority of its effectiveness?
So should the question really be… What were they trying to accomplish with the slogan?!
I understand what you’re saying about children being more susceptible to milk because Michael Jordan had a picture with a glass, but were children the main target?! I feel like it would be so much harder to claim that slogan or the ads for adults because it seems too kid-friendly… But I’m not sure.
It could be that they just wanted the product to be a little more “hip” as Ken was saying, but I wonder what the message was meant to be. What was their goal for the slogan…
I would say that yes these ads are well known however I wouldn’t say that they have made a significant impact. I think everyone can say that at some point in their life they took a drink of milk, gave themselves a milk mustache and said “got milk?” So I can’t say that it hasn’t made an impact at all but not a significant one. For me, I have always been a milk drinker and my sister never has, and these ads haven’t influenced my sister to drink milk or me to drink more. I do think that it has made obvious the importance of milk, but at the same time milk is almost something that doesn’t need advertising, its a common household necessity and I think it always will be.
However on another note, these ads are much better than the ones that were trying to say that milk helped with PMS those were awful! I think that the commercials I see that talks about milk helping with weight loss is probably the most effective that I have experienced. Seeing what milk can do for me makes me want to drink it more.
I think that they are good ads, and celebrity endorsement is alway helpful but I don’t think that it has increased milk sales. At least not for myself or people I know. I can see how maybe I would work for kids, seeing there favorite stars enjoying a glass of milk may encourage them to do the same.
You bring up a good point in mentioning kids. Milk is always being thrown at kids in order to give them good health and strong bones as they grow. Perhaps out of anyone kids would be the most likely to like and drink the milk because they see their favorite celebrity doing it. Kids are probably the ones that influence the overall consumption of milk based on who they see drinking it more than adults! Good point.
I agree with you in that these ads are well known. As far as making an impact I think they have but only in the way that everyone remembers “got milk.” Not in a way that got everyone to drink more milk. So, I think they were half successful with the “got milk” ad campaigns. For me, I am like your sister and not really a milk drinker and these ads didn’t instill in me that I needed to drink more milk. I liked what you said about the ad not making the obvious importance of milk. Maybe if they focused more on the heath benefits it would have made more people drink more milk. In response to your milk ads about PMS I can’t say that I ever saw one or maybe I did and I just can’t remember them. I agree that the ads were more effective on kids because they see their favorite stars enjoying that glass of milk encouraging them to do the same.
Ok, so first off I must live under a rock because I’ve never seen the ads that tried to say milk helped with PMS!!! How did they attempt to publicize that? IM really trying to figure out what the ad looked like…maybe I’ll Google it later. Unfortunately, I knew at a young age I hated milk, so I was never one of the kids to ever make a milk mustache. I tried to stay as far away from milk as possible. I do agree that the ads have pushed that drinking milk is important, but I don’t think they’ve done a good way of explaining to children why. Kids are definitely the ones that ask “Why” more than anyone, they want to know the explanations behind everything, and maybe it’s time that the “Got Milk” campaigns gave them reasons why. Throwing the hottest and newest celebrity on the billboard or commercial isn’t enough.
I’m going to have to agree with everyone so far and say that the “got milk?” ads have done an excellent job in creating awareness and boosting their overall media coverage through the use of their simple and bold advertising and use of celebrity endorsements.
I for one am a big of their ads but I must admit that I am not much of a milk drinker. For me, the “got milk?” ads capture my attention and have almost become a part of our everyday culture. There have been countless poofs on this milk campaign that other companies have tired to piggy back off of.
Overall, I don’t think that these ads increase the consumption of milk. I think it’s just one of those things that people either love the product or they don’t. That being said, I don’t think that makes the “got milk?” ads a failure. On the contrary I believe it to be a great success! Even if a person doesn’t care for the way milk tastes, they can still give approve and enjoy the brand.
I like your point of the milk ads not being a failure. The creativity that backed the advertisements is pretty impressive after I thought about it for a while. I definitely could not come up with the ingenuity off the top of my head to spark a nation wide craze, and I think the sharp-thinking should be mentioned as an accomplishment for the PR practitioners that came up with this scheme. It may not be incredibly effective for milk consumption sales, but it did provide a lot of notoriety for a rather boring topic. So I agree with you, these ads were a success.
The “Got Milk?” ads were definitely effective in gaining attention and popularity. They were everywhere, and it seemed only the cream of the crop celebrities had the privilege of wearing the white mustache. There were plenty of spin-off jokes and T-shirts solidifying this as a successful campaign, however I do not think it drove a lot of people to start chugging milk because they thought it was the cool thing to do.
The ads did not really focus on the benefits of milk, although some health information was listed as if it were quoted from the celebrity. The focus on the ads was more focused on a hip celebrity in a sexy pose. The appeal came from seeing someone being a pop culture icon and supporting something mundane like milk.
This was an ingenious way to hype up a lame product. If I were given the task of acquiring national attention for a product like milk, chalk, bleach, pencils or gum I would not know what to do with myself. Someone, somewhere at sometime had an epiphany that led to a nation wide craze, and that is commendable.
Long story short, did everyone start drinking milk because Derrick Jeter and Jenny McCarthy had milk mustaches? No.
But, it brought a lot of attention to something that goes unnoticed and would never be a topic of jokes or pop culture.
So, it was a success in a lot of ways, and the campaign brought attention to a product that was mostly forgotten about.
Valid points! I agree with you that the ads themselves brought attention but I’m still not totally convinced that people were looking at the ads as “oh I should drink more milk” rather they were looking at them and saying “oh look ‘Got Milk?’ chose Derek Jeter this time, I wonder who will be next?” You’re right. The ads brought attention but I still think it brought more attention to the people not the cause. Furthermore, I kind of think the celebrities were in it for the exposure not the cause. Maybe I’m being completely cynical but as someone who was exposed to these ads time and time again I don’t recall a time that I had an ‘aha’ moment to drink more milk…
I totally agree with you! Especially the “lame product” aspect of it. I do think people view milk as being lame to drink. I know I definitely did when I was a kid. I never wanted to drink milk, because I knew it was healthy…and of course because my mom TOLD ME I had to drink it. And of course when she did this, I definitely rebelled. Not to mention the fact that I never liked the taste of milk to begin with. I also agree with the fact of the benefits of milk not necessarily being given. I can’t remember a commercial or billboard that actually gave reasons as to why we should drink milk. Some people need more than just the pretty face on the billboard to be influenced. Outside of “healthy bones” and milk making you strong, I haven’t heard any other positive benefits to drinking milk.
That’s a good point. I have have been making the argument that the ad is so great because it’s so simple, to the point and clear. But I don’t remember seeing an ad where the nutrition is discussed and or why we should in fact be drinking milk in the first place. Perhaps if they started focusing on ads where they discuss all of the health benefits and how easy it is to obtain that by drinking milk it would appeal to more people and they would start drinking more of it. I feel like after we hit adulthood, most of us stop drinking milk because we don’t have our moms making us drink it any more. However maintaining strong bones and receiving enough calcium is still important once you’re an adult… maybe they should try and focus their ads on reaching adults and reminding them that though they are making their kids drink it, maybe they should be drinking it too!
I agree that the Got Milk ads weren’t a driving force influencing an increase in consumption of milk because the milk mustaches on famous celebrities aren’t enough to make me say I’m missing out on something by refusing to buy milk. In addition, people might say other drinks have health benefits too so why should I have to buy milk when I can get the same or similar benefits from another product. I think that if there was some way to connect the Got Milk ads to giving back to the community or a cause that people care about then people would say that I will buy milk because I want to support this cause, but a celebrity isn’t enough to get people to buy this product because a product that people do not crave to have needs to find a way to appeal to people in another way in order to be successful.
The “Got Milk” ads were definitely effective in terms of making the idea of drinking milk cool. I believe if younger children and teens saw their favorite sports player, or actor/actress with a milk mustache then it would definitely raise the popularity of drinking milk. However, I don’t believe that these ads actually led to more kids drinking milk. I would love if they would do a survey or some sort of measuring tool to actually see if their ads are serving their purpose. Has there really been an increase in milk drinking? Or are the ads simply being utilized for enjoyment, and the suspicion and excitement of who will premiere on the ads next? I also think the tag line of “Got Milk” has been effective in some sense. It’s become a catchy slogan that people have used in reference to drinking milk, and of course been used in some jokes that I’ve heard over the past couple of years.
The “Got Milk” campaign should definitely think of more effective ways to not only promote the slogan of Got Milk, but actually influence people to increase their consumption. That’s the whole reason for the billboards and the whole idea of the movement. This, in my opinion is a prime example of “celebrity endorsing” not always doing the job. Sure, you can throw LeBron James on the billboard, but is his presence on the billboard going to actually be the thing that persuades people to “drink more milk”. It hasn’t done so thus far, I know I haven’t drunken any more milk than the usual because of these billboards.
-Misha
I think the survey is a great idea, Misha! It would definitely be beneficial to use a measurement tool to see if the purpose of the ads is being served because perhaps they could find an alternative, cost efficient way to increase the consumption of milk, such as by using Twitter and Facebook to reach out to people. It might even be kind of cool if they did a strawberry (pink) milk campaign during breast cancer awareness month in order to get more people to go out and buy milk, which of course would mean someone would have to start selling strawberry milk in order for this campaign to happen. I definitely don’t think the slogan is the problem, but I think they should consider tying the ads to holidays and other significant days in order to really see a difference in the consumption of milk.
I think milk is a product that we are going to buy regardless of successful Got Milk ads because we believe it is good for us, and it just seems to be something that is always going to be on our shopping lists. In addition, I think using celebrities can be beneficial to any ad, but I would not say that milk is something that celebrities have as much influence over as other products, such as clothing or phones. Therefore, I would not say that the campaign is successful in increasing the consumption of milk, and I believe there would be more success if the campaign just focused on the health benefits because health is the one thing that we are all thinking about constantly. However, I think using the cool factor to sell milk might just be a little bit too crazy to work because I don’t think we really care that much about who is using that product.
First of all I HaTeEe MiLkKk more than anything in the world. It’s so gross. Anyways, this campaign has been going on for quite some time now, I remember seeing Got Milk? ads in Kindergarten. Since applying celebrities to their ads, I think their popularity has increased, although, I don’t think the number of milk drinkers has increased. People are so used to these ads and having high expectations of what is to come next that they sort of forget the real reason behind the ad, which is to get people to drink more milk. I think they need to come up with a new way to reach audiences with the same Got Milk? focus. The ads need to be more informational rather than just having a beautiful celebrity sitting in a chair with a milk mustache. Something that would make a bigger impact, like a success story, would be more successful for Got Milk? to reach their goal of having more people consume milk. A good example of a company slogan that has been used since the start of the company that keeps generating customer’s interest is “Just Do It” by Nike. Every single commercial and ad they have is different than the one before. Every time I see their ads it makes me want to buy a pair of running shoes or buy something as random as a belt that holds water bottles so I can go and climb a mountain or run a marathon. These ads are so adventurous and fresh that I think Got Milk? could learn a lot from the way Nike reaches audiences, but still stays authentic.
I’m not a big fan of milk either! But you made a good point, there is not a correlation in the amount of celebrities in their ads to the amount of people beginning to drink milk. But I do think that the celebrities were a good idea. How many health food ads are out there today that are informational.The celebrities, the slogan, and the mustache is what made them stand out from other campaigns. They were unique and they generated popularity. I really can’t think of a better way to promote milk.
I agree with the effectiveness of this ad. It is more now about who the next celebrity will be to fashion the milk mustache than about actually drinking milk. I know they have used it in more ways than just celebrity mustaches such as the ad with a partly eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the got milk featured underneath it. I think now they should focus more on the different milks that are lactose friendly than just regular milk.
I think that it’s a nice campaign, but it isn’t effective. The message has changed over time and the meaning is lost… It’s become a catchphrase for memes and pun t-shirts. And while there are some people that do get the message, a lot of adults aren’t drinking milk. I’ve actually heard this a lot from my study abroad friends, that the United States is one of the only countries that pushes milk at dinner time.
I understand this personally because I am lactose intolerant…But aside from that I’ve always hated the taste of plain milk! It’s gross, it’s for baby cows, goats, bisons (or whichever animal you got it from!), not for me!
Back on topic–if we were to reinvent the slogan I would talk about the product that they have now… Similar to crystal light, “Got Milk?” has its own line of flavored straws that can transform that gross, lame, plain milk into something a little more awesome! Maybe with that and a touch of factual info about the need for calcium in adults it can help to refresh the brand a bit.
Ashley,
I agree with you that the got milk ads are not effective. I am not lactose intolerant, but I’ve always disliked the taste of milk, and seeing a celebrity with a milk mustache isn’t going to change my lifelong hatred of milk. Plus, like you mentioned, it’s kind of gross!!
I like how you also mentioned an idea for transforming their campaign to not only effectively reach adults and people like us who don’t like milk, but also to raise awareness about the need for calcium in adults.
I personally really like the Got Milk ads. I’ve seen a variety of different students, athletes and other influential people become the faces of this campaign, and I really think that it makes kids want to drink milk more. However, I think that the fact that these ads have remained virtually unchanged for the last however many years is making them a little stale, and I don’t think they really appeal to adults. It’s nice to see these ads in schools featuring students of about the same age, and people that kids can look up to, but I’m not really sure that they make other people want to drink more milk. It may work for school-age kids, but it’s not really working for the rest of us anymore. I think that if the Got Milk campaign wants to continue to be successful, they need to figure out how to appeal to a wider audience.
I don’t generally see these ads unless I’m in a school, but kids aren’t the only ones who should be drinking more milk. One of the things that the Got Milk campaign advertises is that milk is good for bone health, and adults need that, too. I think it would be smart for the Got Milk campaign to start targeting adults and senior citizens. Just something to think about I suppose…
Ashley, I had no idea that the U.S. was one of the very few places that pushes milk at dinner. I always thought it was kind of weird to drink milk at dinner though. Like you mentioned, “Got Milk” needs to revamp their campaigns to make it a bit more interesting.
Alicia,
I totally agree that these ads are a great way to get children to drink more milk. By using people that children admire they make drinking milk look cool and therefore is something more kids want to do.
I also like how you made a point of saying that since these ads have stayed virtually the same over a long period of time, they have lost their effectiveness on adults. But like you said, adults need to be drinking milk too and the got milk campaign should really attempt to find a way to effectively reach adults!
I remember the “Got Milk” ads from when I was a little boy. It’s weird and even funny to even think about it since the campaign has been out for so many years. In my opinion, I believe any ad campaign with celebrity endorsers are going to have some sort of success and they will gain consumer appeal. I don’t know if the “Got Milk” campaigns really increased the consumption of milk because if you aren’t a milk drinker and never enjoyed drinking it, I don’t think a celebrity could get you to do it. Some people I’m sure got influenced to drink more milk to live healthier lives but I think consumers just enjoyed seeing their favorite celebrity with the infamous milk mustache. I know for myself, I couldn’t wait to see my favorite athletes sporting the mustaches but this didn’t make me want to drink milk more.
I must agree with general consensus here and say that although I like the got milk ads, I don’t believe they are very effective in getting people to drink more milk.
I think the ads are well done and well thought out and it’s great that they get so many famous people to be a part of their campaign. The first couple ones I remember seeing, like a decade ago, I thought they were really neat! But over time the ads have stayed the same and therefore lost their appeal in my eyes.
I also feel the ads, although fun, do not effectively get people to drink more milk. I personally haven’t had a glass of milk in over a decade and when I see these ads I certainly don’t think, “well, if Miley Cyrus and David Beckham drink milk, so should I.” I usually think, “Milk is gross and upsets my stomach and I bet those celebrities don’t drink milk either.”
My personal feelings aside, I do think these ads are a great way to reach children. Although the ad strategy of using celebrities to endorse your product may not always work on adults, it certainly will on children. If an 8-year-old sees someone they admire, like their favorite singer or sports star drinking milk they will most likely associate the behavior with something “cool” in the future.
If the got milk campaign could figure out a way to revamp their ads and make them new and exciting again, they may be able to effectively reach more adults. Perhaps instead of celebrities they could use older women who have osteoporosis or calcium deficiencies to explain how important drinking milk is for you? I definitely feel an ad like that would be more effective on me than Miley Cyrus with a milk mustache!
Anyway, I agree with your idea that the Got Milk? campaign could benefit from revamping their ads to make them reach more adults. By highlighting common adult problems like you said, osteoporosis or arthritis, they may be able to reach a whole new audience. I don’t actually drink milk, and there are quite a few health bloggers and doctors who are actually stressing how milk actually does more harm than good. So along with addressing what milk does to help the body, they could also spend a bit of time marketing their refutation to the arguments against milk.
I think that almost everyone is on the same page here, and I agree with what’s being said. The “Got Milk?” ad has been very successful throughout the years in the sense that they have created a large amount of awareness. Almost every knows their catch phrase, and they have had so many celebrities endorse them. But even with the large amount of celebrities on their side, I don’t believe that it made people drink more milk.
When I was in middle school was when this campaign was in its prime. I remember one of my teachers had every celebrity’s ad that was a part of the campaign on her wall. But seeing the Olsen Twins with a milk mustache never made me want to drink more milk, even at that young of an age. The ads were a great way to build awareness but it never motivated me to drink it.
However, I do strongly believe that these ads were successful. Whether it was because of their consistency, or the publicity they created, this campaign has to have set some sort of record or be in advertising history one way or another.
As everyone else has already said, though the, “Got Milk?” ads have featured many celebrities, cartoon characters and other recognizable faces with exaggerated milk mustaches, and the radio/TV commercials are recognizable- I don’t think it has directly impacted the consumption of milk.
I clicked around their website for a bit however, and on their news/events page, they highlight the winning [California] schools of the Got Milk? Breakfast Challenge, as well as child winners of other Got Milk? challenges. This leads me to believe the ads are still popular to children, and thinking back 15 years or so, I thought the ads were a lot cooler then myself. Maybe we adults don’t think the Got Milk? ad campaign is effective because we usually make our dietary choices based on what we want and hopefully based on what’s good for our bodies. However for kids, they’re persuaded by these kinds of ads and product contests; With the same strategies used for soda, being used for milk, (a.k.a. the lame drink as someone said above, haha) it may actually be influencing kid’s choices at school and at home or at least keeping milk in the back of their minds.
Overall, these ads are now classic. Whether or not it is actually impacting the dairy industry I don’t know. However, the fact that the Got Milk? ad campaign is still going strong and have versions of ads for various countries around the world…. They’re doing something right.
I believe that the “Got Milk” campaign has, like everyone else, been successful with the simple, flexible and effective tagline. Being able to be used in many different formats and duplicated and referenced it did it’s job of increasing milk sales but at the same time it has become more of a celebrity statement to participate in. The ad in itself is now more of an art pop culture piece as compared to actually getting people to drink more milk. This means it is now more ineffective and not worth the money.
When I was younger it was always cool to see the different celebrities in the got milk ads but now I see the ad and just pass by it since it seems like a staple in most magazines. I believe it is time that they went to a new campaign since the “Got Milk” has already hit and left its peak. I’m not saying that it was not once successful but this campaign has been running for 20 years starting in 1993.
The simplicity of it has helped it last for 2 decades but I believe that it has just become too common place. It will though be known as one of the most successful campaigns in advertising history and I doubt it will go away soon.