Got Milk?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
 This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking. (July 2008)

Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running since October 1993. The campaign has been credited with greatly increasing milk sales nationwide after a 20-year slump[citation needed].

Contents

[edit] History

The ads would typically feature people in various situations involving dry or sticky foods and treats such as peanut butter. The person then finds himself in an uncomfortable situation due to a full mouth and no milk to wash it down. At the end of the commercial the character would look sadly to the camera and boldly displayed would be the words, "Got Milk?".

The first Got Milk? ad, in October 1993, featured a hapless history buff (played by Sean Whalen) who receives a call to answer a radio station's $10,000 trivia question (voiced by Rob Paulsen), "Who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duel?" The man's apartment is shown to be a private museum to the duel, packed with artifacts. He answers the question correctly, but because his mouth is full of peanut butter and he has no milk to wash it down, his answer is unintelligible. The ad, directed by Hollywood director Michael Bay, was at the top of the advertising industry's award circuit in 1994. In 2002, the ad was named one of the ten best commercials of all time by a USA Today 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 programs around the country.

In addition, Got Milk? billboards depicting cookies and sandwiches with a bite out of them (one billboard featured two Hostess chocolate cupcakes with the words Got Milk? written in icing) and cats with sad looks on their faces.

The slogan "got milk?" was licensed to the National Milk Processor Board (MilkPEP) in 1998 to use on their celebrity print ads, which since 1995, 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 "milk moustache", employing the slogan, "Where's your mustache?"

According to the Got Milk? website, 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 trademarked line has been widely parodied by groups championing a variety of causes. Many of these parodies use a lookalike rather than the actual persons used in the original Got Milk? ads.

In 2006, the Got Milk? campaign went after a new demographic with a series of Spanish-language ¿Toma Leche? (Do you take/drink milk?) ads, in which milk is touted as a "wonder tonic" with muscle and hair building qualities.

In 2008, the campaign capitalized on the poor economic condition of Americans and used financial adviser and talk show host, Suze Orman, in an effort to advertise milk as a smart and nutritious commodity to purchase.[1]

[edit] Parodies and imitations

The campaign slogan has become an international snowclone, probably because of its simplicity and succinctness.[citation needed] It appears in alternative versions on tee shirts, parody advertisements, and real advertisements - for example "Got fleas" and "Got Freud".[2] For the most part the California Milk Processor Board has ignored the alternative uses, although in 2007 it threatened lawsuit against PETA for its anti-dairy campaign, "Got pus", which began in 2002.[2]

[edit] List of endorsers

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
 This section needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

[edit] Fictional characters depicted in ads

 This section needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bio-Medicine "Suze Orman Joins got milk? Milk Mustache Campaign: New Ad Encourages Families To Invest in Milk's Nutritional Assets." Cassandra, Alev. Sept. 29,2008.
  2. ^ a b Erica Werner (2007-12-12). "Suit threatened over Got Milk? parody". Associated Press. http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2007-12-12-4122526325_x.htm. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "Celebrity Ads1". Got Milk. 2008-02-24. http://milkpep.org/yearroundmarketing/celebrities.php. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "Celebrity Ads". Got Milk. 2008-02-24. http://milkpep.org/yearroundmarketing/celebs_archive.php. 
  5. ^ http://www.anaivanovic.com/image.php?file=pictures/news/1282/Ana_Ivanovic_Asize_150dpi.jpg&width=350&scale=aspect_ratio
  6. ^ As Lara Croft from Tomb Raider
  7. ^ As The Phantom
  8. ^ As Superman
  9. ^ One in 1997 with Drew Bledsoe and another in 2004 with Jake Delhomme
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ As the The Human Torch from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
  12. ^ As Batman
  13. ^ As The Hulk.
  14. ^ As Reed Richards from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
  15. ^ As herself and Susan Storm in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
  16. ^ [2]
  17. ^ First to use chocolate milk
  18. ^ With Muhammad Ali in 2001, part of Dancing with the Stars and solo in 2007.
  19. ^ Why Milk? > Milk Mustache Celebrities
  20. ^ With her son August
  21. ^ As The Thing from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
  22. ^ Austin Powers
  23. ^ First spokesperson to endorse campaign.
  24. ^ a b Winner Survivor
  25. ^ Ryan Adams' Fan Site
  26. ^ With Blue from Blues Clues
  27. ^ Not a "milk mustache" print ad
  28. ^ a b Celebrity Posters (Retrieved on 2008-09-25)
  29. ^ http://www.worstpreviews.com/images/headlines/temp/temp1365.jpg

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Milk%3F"
Personal tools