In 1993, the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB) approached San Francisco advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners with a challenging task. Milk was a boring product and sales in the state had been on a long-term decline.
Jeff Goodby, the agency’s co-founder and creative director, discovered that most of the milk being consumed was when it was paired with treats such as cookies or brownies. Through focus groups, Goodby and his team determined that consumers felt deprived if they were eating a “milk-demanding” snack, yet didn’t have any milk to help wash it down. Goodby took that knowledge and used it to coin a tagline that everyone could easily understand, “got milk?”
Jeff Goodby, the agency’s co-founder and creative director, discovered that most of the milk being consumed was when it was paired with treats such as cookies or brownies. Through focus groups, Goodby and his team determined that consumers felt deprived if they were eating a “milk-demanding” snack, yet didn’t have any milk to help wash it down. Goodby took that knowledge and used it to coin a tagline that everyone could easily understand, “got milk?”
Those two small words were the creation of a big idea that 20 years later is still relevant in advertising. Since the original “Aaron Burr” television spot (shown above), “got milk?” has transformed into an iconic campaign. Eventually came the famed print ads of celebrities sporting a milk mustache, then the launch of a website, then a “got milk?” campaign in the Spanish language known as “Toma Leche” (Spanish for got milk).
Ultimately, the campaign did what it set out to do. Milk sales instantly increased, and continued to do so. While it may not be as prevalent as it was a decade ago, the tagline is still creating a buzz today. It has been able to withstand the shift from traditional to digital media, and it is remarkable that a 20-year-old tagline has amassed over 67,000 Facebook likes and over 2,000 Twitter followers. There is merchandise containing the phrase, and there are constant imitations of the grammatically incorrect tagline (a sign that your idea truly works).
A big idea in modern advertising is not what it was 20 years ago. Today, a big idea can be anything from Red Bull having a guy skydive from outer space or Tesco creating interactive digital billboards that allow consumers to make purchases on the spot. These big ideas are only going to go as far as the consumer is willing to take them. And in the minds of consumers, the more unprecedented something can be to separate itself from the clutter, the bigger it will become.
The fact that “got milk?” is still around today proves that it may potentially be one of the biggest big ideas ever. If it were to launch tomorrow, I don’t think the “got milk?” campaign would survive. But since it created such a stir at its launch and was able to carry on throughout the years, “got milk?” is a big idea that may never die.
The fact that “got milk?” is still around today proves that it may potentially be one of the biggest big ideas ever. If it were to launch tomorrow, I don’t think the “got milk?” campaign would survive. But since it created such a stir at its launch and was able to carry on throughout the years, “got milk?” is a big idea that may never die.
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