I saw a TV commercial the other day from the Dairy Farmers Of Ontario. It featured a bunch of people proudly drinking large glasses of milk in places like in an office or on a park bench or on a construction site. They also throw in that some people eat milk in cheese or ice cream, but really the focus was on those glasses of white milk. The tagline for the commercial was “Everybody milk!”
But I don’t think that’s true.
Normally, when a company promotes a product in a commercial, they’re trying to entice you to buy it. Think of any fast food commercials showing off their juicy burgers and crispy fries. They want you to order it. Or, at the very least, they want you to associate their brand with the idea of yummy food. The thing about milk, though, is that I don’t think anyone sees a commercial like this and runs to the store to get some. I don’t think anyone has a craving for it. And I don’t think anyone thinks fondly about Dairy Farmers Of Ontario as a brand, even if they’re doing good work making local dairy products for us.
Milk, like pineapple on pizza, has become a bit of a divisive beverage. While some people like it, adults drinking it is seen as odd and even ‘cringe’, probably because it’s so closely tied to babies and growing children. Obviously, milk is a healthy drink for all ages and it should not be ridiculed, but I agree that if you were on a date and the person ordered a glass of milk at a restaurant, you’d be a little weirded out.
Most adults are pretty set in their ways when it comes to milk consumption, which is why commercials and messaging like this just seem so weird to me because it’s so unrealistic. I never see people drink milk, and especially not out and about.
And I say this as someone who did in fact drink milk well into adulthood. Drinking milk was normal in my house. I was drinking whole milk at nearly every meal I had at home, even when I went to university. As a picky eater, I don’t get a lot of protein, and milk was a decent and normal way for me to get some. Truthfully, the only reason I stopped was because I was trying to get a handle on my acne, and while I wasn’t prepared to fully cut out dairy, I could greatly reduce it by drinking water instead of milk at meals. It’s now been years since I’ve drank a glass of milk.
That being said, the marketing campaigns from the milk industry are interesting. “Got milk?” and all the ads with the white milk mustaches are iconic. So I respect their hustle there, but I just kind of wonder how successful the ads really are in terms of increasing sales, or is it all just a brand recognition or public awareness campaign? Do they want people talking about milk the way I am now, even if I have no desire to go drink a glass of milk?
Dairy is important in our diets, and that’s certainly a good message to promote for all ages, but I feel like marketing anything other than a glass of milk would be way more effective.
But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe everybody does in fact milk. Complete this poll and tell me.
That’s all for now!
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Coolbeans4 