Got Milk

Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the consumption of cow's milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. It has been running since October 1993. The campaign has been credited with greatly increasing milk sales nationwide after a 20-year slump.

History
The ads would typically feature people in various situations involving dry or sticky foods and treats such as peanut butter. The person then finds himself in an uncomfortable situation due to a full mouth and no milk to wash it down. At the end of the commercial the character would look sadly to the camera and boldly displayed would be the words, "Got Milk?".

The first Got Milk? ad, in October 1993, featured a hapless history buff (played by Sean Whalen) who receives a call to answer a radio station's $10,000 trivia question (voiced by Rob Paulsen), "Who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duel?" The man's apartment is shown to be a private museum to the duel, packed with artifacts. He answers the question correctly, but because his mouth is full of peanut butter and he had no milk to wash it down, his answer was unintelligible. The ad, directed by Hollywood director Michael Bay, was at the top of the advertising industry's award circuit in 1994. In 2002, the ad was named one of the ten best commercials of all time by a USA Today poll, and was run again nationwide that same year. It has since been featured in numerous books on advertising and is being used in case studies at top-flight programs around the country.

In addition, Got Milk? billboards depicting cookies and sandwiches with a bite out of them (one billboard featured two Hostess chocolate cupcakes with the words Got Milk? written in icing) and cats with sad looks on their faces.

The slogan "got milk?" was licensed to the National Milk Processor Board (MilkPEP) in 1998 to use on their celebrity print ads, which since 1995, included celebrities from the fields of sports, media and entertainment, as well as fictional characters from TV and film such as The Simpsons and Batman, posing in print advertisements sporting a "milk moustache", employing the slogan, "Where's your mustache?"

According to the Got Milk? website, the campaign has over 90% awareness in the US and the tag line has been licensed to dairy boards across the US since 1995. Got Milk? is a powerful property and has been licensed on a range of consumer goods including Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels, baby and teen apparel, and kitchenware. The trademarked line has been widely parodied by groups championing a variety of causes. Many of these parodies use a lookalike rather than the actual persons used in the original Got Milk? ads.

In 2006, the Got Milk? campaign went after a new demographic with a series of Spanish-language ¿Toma Leche? (Do you take/drink milk?) ads, in which milk is touted as a "wonder tonic" with muscle and hair building qualities.

In 2008, the campaign capitalized on the poor economic condition of Americans and used financial adviser and talk show host, Suze Orman, in an effort to advertise milk as a smart and nutritious commodity to purchase. They also made a commercial based on the Mario series showing a little clip of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64.

Parodies and imitations
The campaign slogan has become an international snowclone, probably because of its simplicity and succinctness. It appears in alternative versions on tee shirts, parody advertisements, and real advertisements - for example "Got fleas" and "Got Freud". For the most part the California Milk Processor Board has ignored the alternative uses, although in 2007 it threatened lawsuit against PETA for its anti-dairy campaign, "Got pus", which began in 2002.

List of endorsers

 * A. J. McLean
 * Al Michaels
 * Alex Rodriguez
 * Alex Trebek
 * Alex Van Halen
 * Alexa Vega
 * Amanda Bynes
 * Amy Grant
 * Amy Van Dyken
 * Ana Ivanović
 * Andie MacDowell
 * Andre Agassi
 * Andy Roddick
 * Angelina Jolie
 * Apolo Anton Ohno
 * Archie Manning
 * Ashley Tisdale
 * Bebe Neuwirth
 * Ben Roethlisberger
 * Benjamin McKenzie
 * Bernie Mac
 * Beyoncé Knowles
 * Billy Ray Cyrus
 * Billy Zane
 * Bob Burnquist
 * Bob Costas
 * Brad Garrett
 * Brad Johnson
 * Bradan Thomas
 * Brandon Routh
 * Brenda Song
 * Brett Favre
 * Brian Litrell
 * Britney Spears
 * Brooke Shields
 * Cal Ripken, Jr.
 * Carrie Underwood
 * Carson Daly
 * Chris Brown
 * Chris Chandler
 * Chris Evans
 * Chris Evert
 * Chris Paul
 * Christian Bale
 * Christie Brinkley
 * Christina Aguilera
 * Conan O'Brien
 * Cookie Monster
 * Corbin Bleu
 * Curly Howard
 * Daisy Fuentes
 * Danica Patrick
 * Danny DeVito
 * Daryl Sabara
 * David Beckham
 * David Boreanaz
 * David Copperfield
 * David Hyde-Pierce
 * Dennis Franz
 * Dave Mirra
 * Demi Lovato
 * Dennis Rodman
 * Diana Taurasi
 * Donald Faison
 * Donna E. Shalala
 * Donovan McNabb
 * Doris Roberts
 * Doug Gilmour
 * Dr. Phil McGraw
 * Drew Bledsoe
 * Dwight Howard


 * Edward Van Halen
 * Ekaterina Gordeeva
 * Eli Manning
 * Elisabeth Hasselbeck
 * Elizabeth Hurley
 * Elle MacPherson
 * Elton John
 * Elvis Presley impersonators
 * Eric Bana
 * Erik Per Sullivan
 * Fefe Dobson
 * Florence Griffith-Joyner
 * Florence Henderson
 * Frank Gifford
 * Frankie Muniz
 * Freddie Prinze Jr.
 * Freddy Adu
 * Gisele Bündchen
 * Giselle Blondet
 * Glenn Close
 * Hanson
 * Hayden Panettiere
 * Heather Whitestone
 * Heidi Klum
 * Hilary Duff
 * High School Musical Cast
 * Howie Dorough
 * Hugh Jackman
 * Iman
 * Ioan Gruffudd
 * Isaac Hanson
 * Isabella Rossellini
 * Ivana Trump
 * Jackie Chan
 * Jake Delhomme
 * Jake Lloyd
 * James Cameron
 * Jared Fogle
 * Jason Kidd
 * Jeff Gordon
 * Jennifer Love Hewitt
 * Jessica Alba
 * Jimmy Smits
 * Joan Lunden
 * Joan Rivers
 * Joe Rogan
 * Joe Torre
 * Joey Fatone
 * John Elway
 * John Mahoney
 * Jonathan Lipnicki
 * Jonathan Taylor Thomas
 * Joshua Jackson
 * Joss Stone
 * Jordin Sparks
 * Joy Behar
 * Joy Fawcett
 * Julianne Hough
 * Kate Moss
 * Kathy Smith
 * Kelly Clarkson
 * Kelly Preston
 * Kelsey Grammer
 * Kevin Garnett
 * Kevin Richardson
 * Kim Cattrall
 * Kimora Lee Simmons
 * Kiss
 * Kristi Yamaguchi
 * Kym Johnson


 * Laila Ali
 * LeAnn Rimes
 * LeBron James
 * Lindsay Davenport
 * Lindsay Lohan
 * Lisa Kudrow
 * Lisa Leslie
 * Lucas Grabeel
 * Luis Ernesto Michel
 * Maksim Chmerkovskiy
 * Mandy Moore
 * Marc Anthony
 * Marg Helgenberger
 * Marilyn Manson
 * Marion Jones
 * Marion Ross
 * Mariska Hargitay
 * Mark McGwire
 * Mark Walsh
 * Martha Stewart
 * Marvin Harrison
 * Mary Joe Fernandez
 * Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen
 * Masi Oka
 * Mat Hoffman
 * Matt Hasselbeck
 * Matthew Fox
 * McFly
 * Melanie Griffith
 * Meredith Vieira
 * Mia Hamm
 * Michael Chiklis
 * Michael Phelps
 * Michael Strahan
 * Michelle Kwan
 * Mike Myers
 * Miley Cyrus
 * Mischa Barton
 * Monique Coleman
 * Muhammad Ali
 * Naomi Campbell
 * Nastassja Kinski
 * Nelly
 * Neve Campbell
 * Nicholas Hoult
 * Nick Carter
 * Nikki McCray
 * Noah Wyle
 * Olsen Twins
 * Oscar de la Hoya
 * Pat Riley
 * Patricia Heaton
 * Patrick Ewing
 * Pau Gasol
 * Paul Shaffer
 * Pete Sampras
 * Peter Boyle
 * Peter Tosh
 * Peyton Manning
 * Pokémon Company
 * Raven-Symone
 * Ray Romano
 * Rebecca Romijn
 * Reggie White
 * Rex Grossman
 * Rhea Perlman
 * Richard Hatch
 * Rihanna
 * Rick Astley
 * Ron Howard
 * Rosemary Henry
 * Rulon Gardner
 * Rush
 * Ryan Adams


 * Sara Ramirez
 * Sarah Michelle Gellar
 * Sasha Cohen
 * Sela Ward
 * Serena Williams
 * Sherry Stringfield
 * Sheryl Crow
 * Sheryl Swoopes
 * Shirley Jones
 * Simple Plan
 * Solange Knowles
 * Spike Lee
 * Star Jones Reynolds
 * Steve Burns
 * Steve Nash
 * Steve Young
 * Steven Tyler
 * Stockard Channing
 * Stone Cold Steve Austin
 * Suze Orman
 * Taylor Hanson
 * Taylor Swift
 * Teddy Geiger
 * Tedy Bruschi
 * Terrell Davis
 * Terry Labonte
 * The All-American Rejects
 * The Dixie Chicks
 * Tina Knowles
 * Tina Wesson
 * Tom Brady
 * Tony Bennett
 * Tony Hawk
 * Tony Meola
 * Tracey Ullman
 * Tracy McGrady
 * Trent Dilfer
 * Trisha Yearwood
 * Trista Rehn
 * Ty Law
 * Tyra Banks
 * Tyrone Corbin
 * Udhav Goenka
 * Vanessa Anne Hudgens
 * Vanessa L. Williams
 * Vanna White
 * Venus Williams
 * Vince Carter
 * Wes Welker
 * Westlife
 * Whoopie Goldberg
 * Yasmine Bleeth
 * Zac Efron
 * Zach Braff
 * Zachary Hanson
 * Zhang Ziyi

Fictional characters depicted in ads

 * Avengers (drawn version)
 * Bart and Lisa Simpson
 * Batman (drawn version)
 * Batman (live-action version played by Christian Bale)
 * Becca Michelle Butterfield (Mission Hill)
 * Blue's Clues
 * Bratz Dolls (Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha and Jade)
 * Cookie Monster
 * Contortion Act from Cirque du Soleil
 * Cosmo and Wanda
 * The Fantastic Four
 * Garfield
 * Kermit the Frog
 * The Phantom (live- action version played by Billy Zane)
 * Pikachu
 * Pillsbury Doughboy
 * Ronald McDonald
 * Shrek
 * Spider-Girl (drawn version)
 * Spider-Man (drawn version)
 * SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star
 * Mario
 * Superman (drawn version)
 * Superman(live-action version played by Brandon Routh)
 * The Incredible Hulk (drawn version)
 * The Powerpuff Girls
 * Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Stu Pickles, and Chaz Finster from the 2000 movie Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
 * Trix Rabbit
 * White Gold
 * Wolverine (live-action version played by Hugh Jackman)
 * Yoda
 * Chase Bruno