These Artful, Wonderfully Written Milk Ads Just Won Gold at Cannes

It says something that the most famous advertisements for milk are all about its absence. It’s not exactly a product that inspires powerful advertising. But could it be?

Colenso BBDO and New Zealand milk brand Anchor made three remarkable videos about milk this year, all featuring the delightfully cascading words of world champion slam poet Harry Baker. The point is to engage teenagers, famously ambivalent to advertising, when they’re still building their bone density.

The “performance poems” are enhanced by work from visual artists including Parris Goebel. See the three films below, which just won a gold Lion in the Health & Wellness category of the Lions Heath festival in Cannes.

“The campaign aligns directly with Anchor’s ‘Go Strong’ platform, the belief being that the nutrition in dairy provides the strength which builds confidence to give anything a go,” the agency says. “The project aims to inspire teenagers to be themselves and create their own definition of strength.”

Tim Nudd

@nudd

Tim Nudd is a former creative editor of Adweek.