• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 15, 2010

The milk industry's 2010 outreach to the Hispanic market will include the first "got milk?" ad featuring a dad, Chilean actor Cristian de la Fuente.

In addition, a new milk giveaway promotion with sweepstakes and Facebook components has been designed to reach both Hispanic and general markets.

This latest Hispanic celebrity ad -- showing de la Fuente, wife Angelica Castro and their daughter all sporting the iconic milk mustache -- ties into an ongoing marketing platform positioning milk as the "perfect partner for building strong families."

The "Building Strong Families" platform is used in both Hispanic and general marketing efforts by the Milk Processors Education Program (MilkPEP), which runs the multifaceted "got milk?" campaign. Hispanic efforts are generally targeted to mothers, addressing their role as the guardians of their families' "bienestar" (wellness).

The de la Fuente ad is appearing in national magazines starting this month. During any given year, several celebrities are featured in the "got milk?" campaign, and some appear in both Hispanic and general-market ad versions. Hispanic celebrities featured last year included Julie Stav, Carolina Herrera, Dayanara Torres, Charytín and Ingrid Hoffman.

In MilkPEP's new "Great Gallon Give" promotion, spanning Hispanic and general markets, 200,000 gallons of milk will be given away during local events in 20 markets and online at whymilk.com.

The first events were held last week in Chicago and Miami, and de la Fuente was on hand to sign autographs and give out milk during the Miami promotion, reports Veronica Acosta, public relations associate for Siboney USA, the agency that handles Hispanic marketing and advertising for MilkPEP.

The promotion also includes an online sweepstakes with prizes of free milk for a year (four instant winners each day, for 30 days). Consumers can enter between Jan. 10 and Feb. 8 online at whymilk.com or via a link on MilkPEP's Hispanic site, eligeleche.com.

The first 125,000 sweeps entrants will also receive a downloadable coupon for free milk with purchase (one gallon of free chocolate milk with purchase of one gallon of white milk, or one gallon of free white milk with a $100 grocery purchase).

The "Great Gallon Give" also includes a cause-related viral element, in which consumers pass along a virtual gallon of milk to friends via Facebook (facebook.com/MilkMustache).

For each virtual gallon passed along, $1 will be donated to Feeding America, the country's largest network of food banks. In addition, U.S. milk processors will donate thousands of gallons of milk to local food banks in the Feeding America network.

MilkPEP has employed social media for general marketing, but 2010 will mark the start of the first focused social media efforts on the Hispanic marketing side, according to Acosta.

MilkPEP is supporting the milk giveaway promotion with an integrated campaign that includes English and bilingual in-store promotion materials; national and local print ads; Hispanic and general-market TV commercials; exposure on "The View," "Good Morning America" and "Despierta America;" public relations and a launch event.

The tagline "got milk?" was created for the California Milk Processor Board by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, and is licensed by the national milk processor and dairy producer groups.