• by Danielle Oster , August 24, 2023

The dairy industry has a message for all the plant-based imitators out there.

Last week, the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB) -- who you’ll know from the universally recognized “Got Milk?” branding created in collaboration with former agency partners GS&P -- fired the latest shot in the dairy industry’s push against plant-based alternatives. “Everyone Wants to be Milk” is an evolution of the “Get Real. Got Milk?” campaign launched in California last year mocking the bevy of beverages positioned as alternative milks.

CMPB’s latest push, in collaboration with its agency of record, Gallegos United, parodies plant-based pretenders by extending the phenomenon to illogical, and ridiculous, conclusions. Fictional “milk” products – created with an AI assist -- range from the whimsical (rainbow milk), to the truly disgusting (hot dog milk).

The ad is running in multi-language iterations in 30-second, 15-second and 6-second versions across CTV, digital and social paid video throughout California. There’s also a 45-second video on CMPB’s owned digital and social channels. The campaign will expand with influencer marketing and further digital initiatives this fall – including an 8-bit digital game (likely related to the “Pixel Milk” referenced in the ad).

The ad marks the latest evolution a broader dairy industry response to the popularity of plant-based offerings to younger consumers.

“We have to reclaim milk’s mojo,” Yin Woon Rani, CEO for dairy industry group Milk Processor Education Program, told the New York Times earlier this year about the dairy industry’s big marketing push to gain ground with Gen Z. According to Circana data cited in the story, Gen Z bought 20% less milk in 2022 than the national average.

But you know what else Gen Z cares about? Appearing authentic.

“At the core, this campaign is about celebrating what's real, as championed by real milk,” Gallegos United executive director, head of account management James Kulp told Marketing Daily. “Via ongoing social listening, we've been following a change in sentiment towards one of 'keeping it real', with people returning to what feels right for them.”

That message has become an increasing focus of the agency’s work for the brand in recent years.

“We've been seeing a shift in shopping behavior with Californians away from highly processed foods back towards what's real, and have been leaning into that trend with our messaging over the past couple of years,” he added.

The campaign happens to follow a bit of a setback for the dairy industry in early 2023.

In February, the Food and Drug Administration allowed plant-based alternatives to milk to continue using the “milk” moniker, ruling there was no pretense from plant-based producers about the offerings’ origins, or confusion among consumers assuming that almonds and soy beans lactate.

CMPB Executive Director Steve James explained that the initiation of the strategy on display in “Everyone Wants to be Milk” began before the FDA ruling, and that there wasn’t a connection at the time Gallegos United initially proposed the idea.

“However, it is clear that there is confusion out there, and so this campaign is intended to help prompt people to think twice about what is being marketed to them as ‘milk’ -- and that there really is no substitute for the real thing,” he added.

That’s likely a message the dairy industry’s marketing efforts will be milking -- across different organizations and brands -- for some time.