November 21, 2008
[Case Study: Got Milk?, Part 2]
Last time, we discussed the problem California milk producers were facing with low consumption rates and an overall bad image of milk. Now we will look at how the research done by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners influenced their creative work.
One of the agency’s first realizations was that much of the past milk advertising was aimed at consumers who were not using milk at all. GS&P knew that if their goal was to change behavior quickly, they needed to focus on persuading people who already use milk to use more milk, and use it more often. Once they decided on this, they moved on to do further research on how they used milk. Their interviews and focus groups revealed that many people didn’t even think of milk until they needed it with something else. Milk was always included in a formula that made something else shine. Whether it was cereal, cookies, or coffee, milk was seen as food’s supporting star.
When people described situations where they had the food but not the milk, we were intrigued by the level of emotion in their descriptions. It wasn’t merely inconvenient; they were angry, upset, frustrated.
This research lead to the creative team focusing in on a deprivation strategy. It would show milk in a dramatic way, increasing desire in the special food and as a result, increased desire for milk. This idea lead Jeff Goodby to 90′s gold: got milk?
The thinking of this campaign is so simple and was lead so easily by research. The research they did was so beneficial for their campaign; it breathed life into it and lead to a major success.
