Dairy advert back on TV screens after 20-year hiatus

The first dairy TV advert in 20 years will be aired in July, featuring a selection of iconic milk adverts seen on screens over the last seven decades.

The advert is part of the Milk Your Moments campaign funded by the AHDB, Dairy UK, Defra, Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to help dairy farmers and processors deal with the impact of coronavirus.

Personalities from past TV adverts as early back as the 1960s will join some new faces to highlight dairy’s role in how people have connected over the decades, and in current times.

See also: Milk your moments campaign reaches millions

The advert includes old footage of friends sitting at the table to enjoy a pot of tea and modern clips of virtual cuppas and pizza parties, and someone dropping off milk to their neighbour, to demonstrate how people have adapted in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

First aired on Wednesday (1 July), the advert will run for two weeks.

Challenging period

Paul Flanagan, AHDB strategy director for dairy, said “Our farmers have really got behind the campaign across social media and they are now counting down the days to seeing us back on TV.

“These last few months have been really challenging for the dairy sector, and the £1m dairy marketing campaign has played a big role in helping to promote the sector and reminding consumers of the important role dairy plays in our lives.”

Judith Bryans, Dairy UK chief executive, said: “The iconic dairy ads of the past have given us some pretty big shoes to fill, but this is the perfect time for us to be back reminding our consumers that we have always been and will continue to be a part of their special moments of connection, even in these uncertain times.”

Vegan criticism

Animal rights organisation Surge has criticised the government for part-funding the £1 million Milk Your Moments campaign.

“During a crisis where charities are struggling to provide food to the most vulnerable people, our taxes are being spent on social media and TV ads shoring up an industry that was failing long before COVID-19,” Surge wrote on its website.

The organisation has launched a petition calling on the government to help farmers transition to plant-based agriculture or alternative land use.