Were you even a celebrity if you didn’t get a milk mustache ad in the ‘90s? Yes, milk mustaches became a whole thing thanks to the “got milk?” marketing campaign created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners in 1993 for the California Milk Processor Board. Wait a minute, just California? Well, obviously not, as everyone remembers the slogan.
In 1995 the national campaign, run by MilkPEP (Milk Processor Education Program) added the “got milk?” logo to its “Milk Mustache” ads. Ah ha! So the milk mustache already existed, but the “got milk?” slogan wasn’t added until 1995. In our pics throughout this article, you’ll see some of the different magazine ads as proof – some just say “MILK” whereas others say “got milk?”
Apparently, the “got milk?” slogan almost didn’t turn into an advertising campaign as many at the advertising company thought it was lazy, not to mention grammatically incorrect. Guess that just goes to show that sometimes simple is best. The milk mustache campaign itself was created by art director Bernie Hogya and copywriter Jennifer Gold of the agency Bozell. Yes, two different campaigns that came together to create one epic piece of milk synergy. They even had photographer Annie Liebovitz photograph 180 of the ads, and any celebrity who was featured in an ad had to actually be a milk drinker as well — at least they weren’t trying to shill something they didn’t believe in!
Over the years, many taglines have been adapted from the famous “got milk?” slogan — Got Ice? Got Lice? Got Identity? the list goes on (and on) — there are over 100 of these different parodies! But, despite all of the hype, the campaign didn’t really help actual milk sales. According to a report by CoBank, over a 30-year period from 1970-2010, annual per capita milk consumption declined nationally in the US from 28.6 gallons to 20.9 gallons. Still, you likely remember “got milk?” all these years later, and that’s some true lasting power.
The first commercial produced for the “got milk?” campaign was in 1993, and was directed by Michael Bay — yes, that Michael Bay. He directed quite a few award-winning commercials before he became the film director you know him as today. You can watch that commercial below, but what’s extra interesting is that it features a trivia question about Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, which many people might know the answer to today thanks to the musical Hamilton, but back in 1993 was a much tougher trivia question for the general public. Leslie Odom Jr., who played Aaron Burr in the musical, even parodied the commercial in 2015.
Were you inspired to drink more milk because of these ads? Let us know in the comments!
- Thousands of years ago, only children could digest lactose, as adults did not produce lactase, the enzyme needed to digest it properly. But, a chance mutation spread in Europe among the human population all those years ago, so now many people can still digest it into adulthood (but if you stop drinking it for a while, it will become more difficult to digest as you age).
- Prior to 2016, Russia and China were the largest importers of milk, but when they became self-sufficient in producing their own, the rest of the world was left with a glut of milk.
- Dairy cows in the US and Great Britain tend to be the selectively bred Holstein — 90% in the US and 85% in Great Britain. Holsteins are what you likely imagine when you think of a cow — white with black splotches. They originate from the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany.
- Ever have trouble with acne? Your milk-drinking might be to blame! According to a 2009 meta analysis, there is a positive association between drinking milk and acne. Say it ain’t so!
- Schools in the US are required to offer milk at every meal if the school district wishes to get reimbursement from the federal government as part of the National School Lunch Act, which has been around since 1946.
- Thousands of years ago, only children could digest lactose, as adults did not produce lactase, the enzyme needed to digest it properly. But, a chance mutation spread in Europe among the human population all those years ago, so now many people can still digest it into adulthood (but if you stop drinking it for a while, it will become more difficult to digest as you age).
- Prior to 2016, Russia and China were the largest importers of milk, but when they became self-sufficient in producing their own, the rest of the world was left with a glut of milk.
- Dairy cows in the US and Great Britain tend to be the selectively bred Holstein — 90% in the US and 85% in Great Britain. Holsteins are what you likely imagine when you think of a cow — white with black splotches. They originate from the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany.
- Ever have trouble with acne? Your milk-drinking might be to blame! According to a 2009 meta analysis, there is a positive association between drinking milk and acne. Say it ain’t so!
- Schools in the US are required to offer milk at every meal if the school district wishes to get reimbursement from the federal government as part of the National School Lunch Act, which has been around since 1946.
1 thought on “Got Milk? The Ad Campaign that Launched a Gazillion Celebrity Milk Mustaches”
But where’s the Christie Brinkley and Van Halen “got milk” ads? It’s okay, I looked them up and found all kinds of cool milk. There’s one of Kate Moss that’s adorable.
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