The National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board is effectively using the internet to target one of its most important groups, teenagers, and extend the life of its “Milk mustache” campaign.
“This past year is the first time we’ve significantly used online as an advertising vehicle,” says Sal Taibi, president of Lowe Worldwide, which inherited the campaign from Bozell when it acquired that agency in 1995. “As we explored different ideas and content to reach teens, it became evident that the celebrity asset we had was very powerful.”
As a result, MySpace was used to help launch the latest “Milk mustache” ads (including the one featuring Cyrus, launched last month, and one with Batman — a tie-in with the upcoming Dark Knight — released two weeks ago). Also, behind-the-scenes videos, such as one documenting Cyrus’ “Milk mustache” photo session with Annie Leibovitz, are being posted on YouTube.
“We don’t worry a lot about pretesting the celebs or the ads because we know from history that when we run them they get seen,” says Taibi. “Where we do think about the celebrity appeal is with the online stuff, where so much of it is voluntary or viral.”
Kurt Graetzer, the board’s CEO, adds: “We’re up to about 270 celebrities in the 13 years this has been running and the board has rarely commented on the selection process. … Except for the sports stars, I don’t know if the national milk processors are familiar with celebrities who appeal to teens. I’ll tell you — nobody on my board knows who Rihanna is.”