The Marketing Lessons of 'Got Milk?'

If you watched TV during the 1980s, you’d often hear the “Milk does the body good.” advertisements. The concept came from the belief that drinking milk would nourish our bones and make our muscles stronger, which is certainly true. But the campaign fell flat because milk was not just a healthy drink — it was a drink that actually made everything better. It was an essential ingredient to our daily life — not a protein shake. So they scrapped the “Milk Does the Body Good” campaign and started a new one called “Got Milk?” 

The ”Got Milk’ campaign was a huge hit. It reclassified milk into many different categories. Now, instead of it being a health drink for bones and muscle, the change in perception made everyone ask themselves several questions: Who could eat a cookie without milk? Who could have coffee without milk?  Who could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without milk? Once milk dropped the healthy version of itself, it became accessible and universal in many settings. The lesson we all need to learn here is not that milk is good or bad for you, but how you sell something is as important as what you sell. 

Every day we as leaders/teachers must sell something. We must market what we are selling. We cannot be boring in our presentations, and most of all, we cannot lose sight of the critical message we must sell. For example, Walt Disney always told those around him that he was not selling theme parks or rides or cotton candy, but happiness. Everything started with one fundamental question: Can this idea make a child smile? And if the answer was yes, then off they went. 

We all need to brush up on our marketing skills. In Al Ries’ and Jack Trout’s book “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing,” we can find a few important clues to help us improve our presentations and our messaging. 

Here are a few examples:

1. Law of perception. Marketing is not a battle of products but a battle of perception. 

2. Law of focus. The most powerful force in marketing is owning a word in a prospect’s mind. Come to dominate one word/attribute and people will give you the benefit of the doubt.

3. Law of Singularity. Trying harder is not the secret of marketing success. History teaches that the only thing that works in marketing is the single, bold stroke – the unexpected. 

4. Law of Unpredictability. While you can’t predict the future, you can get a handle on trends, which is a way to take advantage of change. Don’t create a long-term plan, but rather a long-term direction.

5. Law of Acceleration. Successful programs are not built on fads, they are built on trends. A fad is like a wave in the ocean, and a trend is the tide. 

Work hard on selling your program to those who are vested and to those you recruit.  Remember, being a leader requires the ability to sell, and understanding how to sell will make us a better teacher/coach/leader. 

Got Milk? 

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