GOT MILK? Turns 10.

It’s been ten years since “Aaron Burr” — that strange, deprived history buff with peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth — frantically reached for the milk that wasn’t there. A decade since that now famous question first appeared. Sixty commercials later — after earning the highest accolades of the advertising industry — GOT MILK? has not only helped sell millions of gallons of milk, it’s become an all-American icon.

Representative of the campaign’s cultural penetration, GOT MILK? has:

— over 95% of Americans recall it;
— spawned hundreds of GOT MILK? rip-offs (eg., GOT BEER? GOT JESUS?);
— has been used as comic relief by Cosby, Leno, and Frazier;
— redefined marketing to such an extent that it’s taught in the nation’s top business schools;
— become a multi-million dollar licensing property;
— changed the way marketers think about competitive positioning; and
— helped defend milk’s share of beverage consumption in California and nationally.

“It’s amazing that GOT MILK? is still so pervasive and powerful,” says Kevin Lane Keller, Professor of Marketing at Dartmouth College. “Despite the billions poured into advertising each year, very few campaigns enter the American vernacular.”

“GOT MILK? has staying-power because it is founded on a fundamental truth,” says Jeff Manning, campaign co-creator and executive director, California Milk Processor Board (CMPB). “Running out of milk is a real pain in the butt. You can’t put Snapple on your cereal or dunk your cookies in bottled water.”

GOT MILK made running out of milk part of American pop culture. The Dairy industry spends $150-million annually to support it, including use on those Milk Mustache ads. In addition, GOT MILK? has become a hot property with over 100 product licensees. “After a decade, GOT MILK? has grown into one of the best known, most beloved ‘brands’ in America,” adds Manning.