Dive Brief:
- The California Milk Processor Board's "Got Milk?" slogan gets a sweet and spicy kick in a new campaign, "Food Loves Milk," which features a variety of milk and food pairings, ranging from sweet desserts to curry and chili.
- The ads include TV commercials, print and out-of-home ads, and online banners featuring even less commonly thought-of foods for more targeted audiences, such as bacon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the late-night crowd or spicy avocado toast for brunch-lovers.
- This push to drink more milk comes at a time when research finds that while the U.S. government has encouraged consumers to steer clear of whole milk due to heart health concerns, whole milk may actually play a role in lowering the risk for heart disease.
Dive Insight:
While foods and beverages that are high in fat have been targeted as unhealthy by past dietary guidelines, researchers are finding that "certain foods that are high in fat seem to be beneficial," Marcia Otto, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas, told The Washington Post. Otto is the lead author of major studies published in 2012 and 2013, which received funding from government and academic institutions rather than the food and beverage industries.
This is good news for the milk industry, which has been struggling in recent years against dietary guidelines as well as the rise of dairy alternatives, such as nut and soy milks. With the latest dietary guidelines currently being discussed, this type of research could bode well.
"It's a challenging time for dairy milk. It's hard for good old-fashioned milk to compete with crazy fizzy sodas and neon-colored sports drinks. That is, until you get out a plate of cookies," said Goodby Silverstein & Partners' Kate Catalinac, creative director on the "Food Loves Milk" campaign.