Ad of the Day: Got Milk?

Got real milk? The California Milk Processor Board (CMBP) is picking on plant-based alternatives to milk in Goodby, Silverstein & Partners' latest work under its classic tagline for the dairy association. The deliberately cheesy ads, an extension of the recent "Real milk comes from cows" campaign, are done in the style of a mock 1960s variety game show. The theme: funny-sounding ingredients found in what the campaign calls "imitation milk." In the case of the TV spots, that means soy-based. A microsite also knocks coconut- and almond-based alternatives. The contestants are a sharp teenage girl who can rattle off the drink's contents without really knowing what they are and a clueless teenage boy who is totally lost beyond water. The host, who sports an aesthetic reminiscent of Mad Men's Harry Crane, is a total ham. The additive carrageenan? "Used to date her in college," he grins. "I'm joking, I'm teasing." The campaign's headline: "Real. Simple." The ads are fun. They're also kind of smug, with a knack of sophistry and fear mongering. The implication that having more ingredients is necessarily worse doesn't quite hold up on its face—riboflavin, zinc gluconate and calcium carbonate, for example, are popular dietary supplements. The aforementioned carrageenan, meanwhile, may be murkier. It's a common seaweed-based gelatin alternate that's raised various health concerns over the years, including that it's a possible carcinogen (what isn't?) but is generally considered safe. Overall, the campaign feels a bit like PETA-baiting. Vegan stuff is easy to ridicule, and, as the brand well knows, sowing controversy generally makes for more—if not necessarily better—exposure. Does soy milk cause cancer? Does cow's milk? Who knows. At least fake milk's a better target for ridicule than the brand's last one. CREDITS Client: California Milk Processor Board (Got Milk?) Executive Director: W. Stephen James Co-Chairman, Partner: Jeff Goodby Executive Creative Director, Associate Partner: Christian Haas Copywriter: Carter Debski Art Director: Maggie Bradshaw Director of Broadcast Production, Associate Partner: Cindy Fluitt Broadcast Producer: Leila Seghrouchni Executive Interactive Producer: Alex Burke Interactive Producer: Maribel Arellano Creative Technologist: Mike Newell Managing Partner: Robert Riccardi Account Director: Kelly Johnson Account Manager: Krista Kelly Account Manager: Meredith Williams Assistant Account Manager: Aimee O’Rourke Operations Manager: Mallory Frye Group Brand Strategy Director: Bonnie Wan Senior Brand Strategist: Hennrietta Probert Brand Strategist: Alina Schabashevich Director of Communication Strategy: Christine Chen Senior Communication Strategist: Nancy Jeng Communication Strategist: Krista Miyashiro Junior Communication Strategist: Fiona Su Business Affairs Associate Manager: Heidi Killeen Broadcast Production Credits: Production Company: O-Positive Director: David Shane Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella Editorial Company: Hutch Co. Editors: James Hutchins (TV), Joaquin Machado (Web) Executive Producer: Jane Hutchins Producer: Jane Hutchins VFX (TV spots): Jon Howard Motion Graphics (end tag): HiFi 3D From HiFi 3D: Szymon Weglarski, Jonathan Dorfman Colorist, Finishing: Steffan Sonnenfeld Music Company.: Beacon Street Music: Original Music Recording Studio: Lime Studios Audio Engineer: Loren Silber Interactive Production Credits: Web Production Company: SilkTricky Creative Director: Chris Lund Creative Technology Director: Noah Costello Producer: Lynn Lund Flash, HTML Developers: Bart Millar, James Acres Visual Effects: HiFi 3D From HiFi 3D: Szymon Weglarski, Jonathan Dorfman

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Got Milk?

Iconic campaign pokes fun at 'imitation milk' in Goodby's faux-game-show spots

Gabriel Beltrone

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Gabriel Beltrone