The one where everyone has a mustache ...
The one where everyone has a mustache ...
In the 1990s, there was one product that had seemingly every celebrity — from actors and athletes to models and musicians — clamoring to become its spokesperson. Name an A-lister from that era, and you can bet they wanted in: Jennifer Aniston, Harrison Ford, Britney Spears, Shaquille O'Neal, Kate Moss … the list goes on and on.
Was it a cool fashion label like Calvin Klein? An iconic brand like Coca-Cola? Nope — it was milk. Plain old, regular white milk. Completely brandless and, honestly, a little boring. But it was also the focus of one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time: Got Milk?
I bet you can picture those milk mustache ads right now. There might even be a few Got Milk? TV commercials burned into your brain.
But did you know …
1. An office prank inspired the TV ads.
When the advertising agency behind the Got Milk? ads was trying to come up with a concept for the campaign, they decided to pull a prank on their coworkers to test out an idea. They placed empty cartons of milk in the office fridge, then set up a hidden camera to see what happened. The frustrated reactions from the employees told them everything they needed to know.
They decided to focus on a “deprivation marketing” tactic for the TV ads. Rather than trying to promote milk for its health benefits or taste, they focused on situations where milk was desperately craved but not available — something consumers could relate to in a visceral way.
2. From Aaron Burr to Armageddon
The first TV spot for the Got Milk? campaign went down in commercial history. Maybe the reason it was so good is because it had a soon-to-be-famous director: Michael Bay. Then just a recent film graduate of the ArtCenter College of Design, Bay did the commercial in 1993 before going on to direct a number of blockbuster films, including Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and five movies in the Transformers film series.
The commercial stars Sean Whalen (who you might recognize from Twister) as a history buff who can’t blurt out Aaron Burr’s name because he doesn’t have any milk to wash down his peanut butter sandwich. It received the Grand Prix Clio Award for Commercial of the Year in 1993 and was later inducted into the Clio Awards Hall of Fame. In one USAToday.com poll, it was voted one of the 10 best ads of all time.
3. Black comedy meets white milk.
Who would’ve imagined that something as innocent as milk could be delightfully sinister? When you go back and watch Got Milk? TV ads from the ‘90s, you might be surprised at just how darkly comic they are. The Aaron Burr commercial seems like child’s play compared to a granny getting attacked by cats, a man’s arms snapping off or a priest smashing a vending machine in a fit of rage. This probably explains more about Gen X and Millennials’ sense of humor than we’d like to admit …
4. The secret milk mustache recipe
Following the success of the early TV commercials, the Got Milk? campaign expanded to include a print ad series featuring milk mustachioed celebs. But the making of a milk mustache wasn’t as straightforward as you might think. It actually involved a proprietary mix of milk, ice cream, and sour cream.
The concept of a milk mustache would go on to become a touchstone of ‘90s pop culture. Not only were hundreds of celebrities featured in the print ads (along with fictional characters like Kermit the Frog, Austin Powers, Garfield, and Yoda), there was a famous photographer behind the lens, too. Annie Leibovitz — known for iconic photographs like the one of Yoko Ono being embraced by John Lennon in the nude and the cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. album — captured over 180 of the Got Milk? portraits.
5. Got lactose?
Being bestowed with the Got Milk? campaign’s signature mustache was quite the honor. But in order to make it into one of the ads, you had to actually back up what you were promoting by being a real-life milk drinker. When Whoopi Goldberg sought out a spot in the Got Milk? ads, she was initially turned down for being lactose intolerant. She finally got her shot in 1999 when the campaign ran an ad specifically for lactose-free milk.
6. Cats love milk … and copycats do, too.
Because the Got Milk? marketing was so ubiquitous, it was only a matter of time before others tried to capitalize on its popularity. Copycat phrases abounded, from “Got Beer?” to “Got Jesus?” to “Got Hair?” and beyond.
You’d think the Got Milk? creators would be ticked off, but they actually welcomed the imitators. They believed the parody phrasing only served to remind consumers of the original, making it effectively free advertising. The one exception was PETA’s stomach-churning “Got Pus? Milk Does” slogan, which got pulled after they were threatened with a lawsuit for trademark infringement.
7. A spooky legend gets thirsty.
In an effort to target the Mexican-American population, a 2001 Spanish-language Got Milk? ad was developed. The commercial was inspired by the Mexican folk tale of La Llorona, a woman who drowned her children then killed herself to spite her adulterous husband. Her weeping ghost was said to wander the earth in search of her lost children — but in the ad, it’s “leche” (Spanish for “milk”) that she’s looking for. It went over well among the Hispanic population, who generally found it funny. Those unfamiliar with the legend, on the other hand, thought it was a tie-in for a ghost movie.
8. Hi, Barbie!
The Got Milk? campaign was so pervasive that it led to collaborations with a number of brands, including Hot Wheels and Oreos. There was even a Got Milk? Barbie released in 1995. It came with a swirly pink straw for “sippin’ in style,” and Barbie was decked out in cow print overalls — very milkmaid chic.
9. But did it work?
Got Milk? may have been one of the most memorable marketing campaigns, but it wasn’t very successful. Some reports said there was a brief bump in milk sales in the ‘90s, but overall, the consumption of fluid milk has steadily declined since the 1970s. During the campaign’s heyday (1990 to 2000), U.S. daily per capita consumption actually fell by 11.5% (0.78 cup to 0.69 cup).
10. All about that “Milk Life”
The Got Milk? campaign persisted for over two decades after its debut in 1993. It wasn’t until 2014 that the tagline was officially retired and replaced with a new one — “Milk Life” — focused on milk's protein content. It hasn’t exactly caught on the way “Got Milk?” did, or even that of the ‘80s predecessor: “Milk: It Does a Body Good.”
Oat, almond, and soy varieties may be cool today, but back then, we were all about the real thing. Forward this to a friend who still owes you milk money.
Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick