The milk moustache has drastically transformed America’s conception of milk, Kurt Graetzer, CEO of the National Fluid Milk Processor Education Program and initiator of the “Got Milk?” campaign, said Wednesday evening in Healy Hall’s Philodemic Room.

ilkPEP began in 1995 with 450 milk processors who wanted to reverse the trend of plummeting milk sales, which Graetzer attributed to milk’s negative marketing image.

Graetzer, with 15 years of previous advertising experience, was asked to lead the MilkPEP program at its inception.

During the speech, which was sponsored by Georgetown’s Undergraduate Marketing Association and the Advertising Educational Foundation, Graetzer explained that, during the ’90s, milk was seen as a drink intended for children and considered unhealthy for adults due to its fat and cholesterol. The diet craze that swept the nation in the mid-1990s, Graetzer said, posed a serious problem for MilkPEP’s mission. In addition, a fragmented industry and the lack of a strong brand presence made advertising even more difficult.

Graetzer said that as soon as the milk moustache ads hit the screen, the first of which featured beautiful celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Iman, the negative image of milk began to dissipate.

Since 1995, the milk moustache campaign has launched over 250 different advertisements, featuring different TV stars, athletes, singers and other celebrities that reflect a wide variety of backgrounds. Graetzer said that diversity has been an important goal in the ad campaign, as MilkPEP makes sure to target groups, such as mothers.

“We have always have been conscious of the broad ethnicity of America and the importance of representing everybody,” he said.

Advertising online, in print and on TV as well as through events, retail promotion and free press, as well as the assistance of their partners like Disney and General Mills, the “Got Milk?” campaign has revitalized the milk industry with just a $105 million budget, Graetzer said. For every dollar invested, MilkPEP generate $6.60 in sales, he added.

The success is largely due to the ability to combine the campaign’s high recognition with the constant rotation of currently popular celebrities, Graetzer said.

“A new celebrity makes this a new campaign every single time,” Graetzer said.

Even with the success of the campaign, celebrities are still paid the same amount – $25,000 per ad – as they were in 1995.

With the recent financial crisis, MilkPEP adjusted its strategy to feature Suze Orman, a renowned expert on household finances, allowing the organization to capitalize on her current fame and leverage the publicity of the advertisement.

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