The iconic 1990s Got Milk campaign had celebrities, athletes, supermodels, and everyday people sporting that white milk mustache. It was one of the most successful ad campaigns ever, with its tagline being remembered long after its rise to fame. And while ‘Got Milk’ helped bump dairy milk sales initially, the long post-World War II decline in milk-drinking never really reversed.
Now, milk is facing more competition than ever, including the feeling among many young people that drinking the dairy beverage is embarrassing. Meanwhile, alternatives have caught their attention — oat, almond, cashew, hemp, soy milk.
Gen Z, in particular, is moving away from dairy milk, buying some 20% less milk than the national average, and a lot of it comes down to taste, says Kim Severson, national food correspondent for the New York Times.
She points to the Obama administration's efforts to promote healthy eating in schools as a turning point for a lot of young people.
“These are kids who grew up drinking Obama-era school milk, which means it was no fat or low fat. And flavored milk was eliminated for a short period of time in school lunches. So kids got exposed to milk that they weren't drinking at home. It had this gross, warm, no fat milk.”
Severson also points to Gen Z’s concerns over climate change and animal welfare.
This generation, including perhaps their parents, were part of the first wave of consumers to embrace alternative milks.
“In the refrigerator, you'd have a plant-based milk and a dairy milk or no dairy milk at all. … The self-diagnosed lactose intolerance was really big among these kids' parents. So there's a sense that dairy somehow is bad for you in a way.”
Now, the dairy industry is trying out new ways to reach young people, including promoting it as a sports drink. The industry says some dairy products, including chocolate milk, can help athletes recover. Part of that initiative includes 26.2, a program from the Milk Processor Education Program that recruits women runners.
“They've got a big promotional effort going on, particularly towards women, women in marathons,” Severson explains. “Their phrase is now ‘Gonna Need Milk’ as opposed to ‘Got Milk?’”