When asked, this ad in my humble opinion is the definition of a what is a very successful television ad. Storytelling at it’s best. It also was the springboard into 25+ years of “Got Milk?” messages and could run today as successfully as it did when it debuted October 29, 1993.
This ad itself is incredibly detailed and visually unforgettable with the unique idea of having a hapless historian living in a warehouse, resulting in a mixture of weirdness and history.
In 1993, a focus group headed by Jon Steel, a partner at the San Francisco-based advertising firm Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, asked respondents not to consume milk for a week prior to participating in the study. Steel’s aim was to gather information about milk habits that would inform his pitch to a new client, the California Milk Processor Board, which was looking for creative strategies to boost sales.
When the respondents showed up, they were a little anxious about being deprived of the household staple. One man relayed his experience of coming downstairs to the kitchen in the morning before work, pouring out his cereal, slicing bananas on top of it, and then remembering his promise of abstinence. An ethical dilemma arose, the man later admitted to Steel. Would he use milk and simply lie to the rest of focus group? Or would he throw out the cereal? Worse yet, would he eat the cereal without milk?
This ad was directed by a recent film graduate fromthe Art Center College of Design, Michael Bay (yes, Transformers, Armageddon and Purge franchise Michael Bay).
They say parody is a high form of compliment. Hamilton the Broadway smash hit musical produced ‘Got Hamilton?’. It’s near perfect.
‘Got Hamiltion’ LINK:
NOTE: This video is posted strictly for educational purposes and is posted under Fair Use to solely assist current and future advertising students and creatives.