I did the majority of my growing-up during the 1980’s and ’90s, although my wife will probably tell you I still have plenty of that to do. During my childhood I typically had just a few thoughts going though my mind, and most of them involved toys or eating. One of the other things running through my head on a regular basis was growing-up. What would I do? Who did I want to be? In those formidable years, while I was making life-altering decisions like whether to play inside or outside, there was an ad campaign that spoke to me, and an advertising agency that did a great job.

As far as ad campaigns go, one product has been consistently masterful throughout my life – milk. You know, the delicious white beverage that comes from cows? Sorry for being inconsiderate if you’re lactose intolerant, or is it milk-sensitive? One can never be too careful in today’s politically correct world, you know. I digress. Since I was a young whipper-snapper, milk has been wooing me in a way that no other product can match. The first campaign I have vivid memories of watching had the message down so well, I was a milk-drinking maniac for many years. Those commercials had a tagline I’ll never forget – Milk: It Does a Body Good. For those of you who aren’t currently smiling and remembering the campaign fondly, here’s a sample:

What more could a kid ask for in a drink?

• Astronauts? You bet!
• Kangaroos on pogo sticks? Of course!
• Hanging upside down? Do kids like anything more than that?
• Dressing like a robot? Got it!
• Parachuting cows, kids in rock bands, and dancing milk cartons? All here!

Now before I get too far off on my nostalgic trip, I’ll bring it back to the real subject of this post. Advertising agencies, and ad campaigns for that matter, can be life-altering. When McCann-Erickson created the Milk: It Does a Body Good campaign, they cut out a swath of my childhood and pointed me toward greatness. I’ll be sure to write an extensive post when I finally get there. Really though, the campaign painted milk as what us marketers call an “aspirational product.” Kids everywhere dreamed of beating up bullies, getting the girl, and making the football team all because they were drinking milk. It was the secret to every Gen-Xer’s success, at least when we were little.

McCann-Erickson knew what we were thinking, and simply showed us how to get there. A few glasses of milk and we were on our way.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 2:34 pm by Joshua Feig and is filed under | Advertising / Branding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.