Got Milk? Milk's Marketing Challenges: Consumer Behavior, Targeting, Positioning

The new tagline is "Milk Life"

Who can forget the iconic "Got Milk?" milk moustache ads of yesteryear? Celebs from all walks of life were featured, as you can see here. The goal was to encourage higher milk consumption through associations with health benefits and, of course, high-profile personalities. The campaign became a big hit and a pop culture touchstone.

After nearly 20 years, however, Got Milk? is no longer the national tagline for the Milk Processors. It's still in use in California, where it originated. But the new national tagline is "Milk Life," backed by a $50 million campaign. In fact, Milk Life already has its own FB page (with 451,000 likes) and its own hashtag (#milklife).

Whether the new campaign will reverse U.S. milk consumption trends is a big question mark. Americans drink a lot less milk today than they did in 1970, and the downward trend is especially pronounced for full-fat milk.

The chart above shows that today's Millennials are drinking much less milk, compared with U.S. teens and youngsters in the 1970s. Meanwhile, nichification has resulted in a dizzying array of milk variations and alternatives. One glance at the "milk section" of the supermarket will give you a hint at the many segments being targeted and the many products being offered. This is a consumer behavior issue as much as a targeting and positioning challenge.

On the other hand, milk consumption is going up in some nations. Not in the UK, where the downward trend is evident, but in many developing countries, including China.