• by Karl Greenberg , September 16, 2008

The National Basketball Association and the Women's National Basketball Association have signed a promotional and advertising deal to have some of their players wear milk moustaches as part of the Milk Processor Education Program (Milk PEP).

 

The program, making MilkPEP a partner of NBA's health and wellness initiative, centers on the board's "Body by Milk" campaign, which aims to get teens to favor milk over colored, flavored, or otherwise chemically enhanced waters.

NBA and WNBA players, ambassadors for the Body by Milk campaign, will appear in commercials and make appearances, along with trainers, at teen events. There will also be content at NBA.com, bodybymilk.com and other online sites.

Meanwhile, a new "Got Milk" ad is appearing this month that features two-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. The print ad, via Lowe New York, has the player posing in his uniform as part of the "Body by Milk" campaign.

NBA spokesperson Carmine Tiso says the new raft of ads won't appear until next spring.

Tiso says NBA players have appeared in "Got Milk" ads from 2000 through 2005, with the effort featuring NBA rookies. He says T-Mobile now is the NBA rookie endorsement partner.

A campaign spokesperson for MilkPEP says the larger "Got Milk" platform targets teens and adult women. The "Body by Milk" effort, launched in 2006, is an integrated effort with celebrity content, nutrition info and the like at www.bodybymilk.com, promotions for teens, and in-school programming.

The most recent "Got Milk" national effort for women has centered on a national search for a "Chief Health Officer," featuring CSI actress Marg Helgenberger, who appeared in print ads, and POP material, and a promotional web site, www.WhyMilk.com.