The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), an official US Olympic Team partner, has launched its campaign for PyeongChang 2018 spearhead by a TV commercial starring freestyle skier Maddie Bowman.
MilkPEP, which is funded by the nation’s milk companies, runs the activation under its ongoing ‘Milk :Life’ campaign subrand and the debut spot sees gold medailst Bowman declare that nine out of ten US Olympians grew up drinking milk for natural protein and balanced nutrition.
The ad blends home videos of the Olympic skiers in her early days on the slopes and includes a shot of young Maddie drinking a glass of milk.
It features her mum, who always knew her daughter was a natural., encouraging and supporting her daughters athletic success.
The spot comes in 60-second,
and both 30-second and 15-second versions.
The athlete ambassador fronted ad is the first dedicated spot featuring a member of the latest Winter Olympic iteration of Team Milk.
It is accompanied by a ‘Team Milk Is Ready’ film introducing the members of the organisation’s Winter Olympic/Paralymnpic Games endorser stable: which includes snowboarder Jamie Anderson, skater Kristi Yamaguchi, sled hockey star Rico Roman and freeskier Joss Christensen
Campaign creative also spans the usual digital and social platforms,
Proud to be supported by the @MilkLife as part of #TeamMilk . We We have our game faces on. We're ready. Let's do this. #ad #sledhockey pic.twitter.com/JlxGksJVlU
— Rico Roman (@RicoSled23) October 26, 2017
and the organisation also activated socially around the ‘100 Days To Go’ countdown.
The numbers are adding up. The team is coming together. Just #100DaysOut from PyeongChang & Team Milk is ready. #WinterOlympics #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/XoP31hDjP1
— Milk (@MilkLife) November 1, 2017
The creative assets all drive viewers online to the Milk Life Winter Olympoc digital hub at https://milklife.com/teamusa to find out more about Team Milk as they prepare for the world’s largest stage at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.
And, of course, to learn more about parental love and support, plus good, young athlete nutrition habits which include nutrient-rich milk with high-quality protein in their daily routine.
Nutrition guide and athlete details – such as the fact that US Olympic Training Centers serve tens of thousands of gallons of milk to Team USA athletes every year and that milk has 9 essential nutrients, including 8 grams of natural protein in every 8-ounce serving – are available on the microsite.
“Growing up as an athlete, my mom always had milk on the table because she knew the importance of nutrition as part of my training,” said U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi.
“Now, being a mom of two young daughters – and athletes themselves – milk is an essential part of their meals, to help ensure they have nutrients they need to fuel them every day.”
Comment:
The Milk Life initiative is a campaign developed from the Milk Processor Education Program: an organisation funded by the US national milk industry and which is committed to increasing fluid milk consumption by promoting the idea that milk is a delicious, easy and affordable way to get high-quality protein.
It was back in 2016 that Milk Life teamed up with the US Olympic Committee as a plftorm to showcase the benefits of drinking milk.
As an official sponsor, Milk Life is supporting the US Olympic and Paralympic teams from Rio 2016, through PyeongChang 2018 to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This multi-year deal, funded by the nation’s milk companies, sees US Olympic and Paralympic teams able to count on the support of hundreds of dairy industry groups right in their own communities.
“Milk has always been there, powering the potential of athletes. Now, the industry is proud to officially support the US Olympic and Paralympic Teams,” said Julia Kadison, chief executive officer at the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) when the partnership was announced.
“This is a game-changing partnership for our industry, and an opportunity for local milk companies to continue to support their communities all year long. I can’t think of a better partner for milk, with its protein and nutrient package, than Team USA.”
“US Olympic and Paralympic athletes working to achieve their goal of representing Team USA rely on good nutrition and a balanced diet as key elements of their training regimens,” added Lisa Baird, USOC chief marketing officer.
“Milk is already a staple at the U.S. Olympic Training Centers, and we are thrilled to add Milk to our family of official partners as we celebrate the Road to Rio and beyond.”
The 2016 campaign featured a previous iteration of ‘Team Milk’ including rugby star Perry Baker, swimmers Elizabeth Beisel and Caitlin Leverenz and gymnast Danell Leyva.
Last year’s activation also included 30-second individual athlete ambassador spots, created by marketing agency Campbell Ewald and running on national TV in the USA, such as one fronted by Caitlin Leverenz.
Milk and sport may seem unlikely partners but the relationship actually goes back a long way.
It has come in various forms and guises and stretches from the iconic early 1980s UK Milk Marketing Board’s football-themed scouser spot about Ian Rush and Accrington Stanley,
to Muscle Milk’s contemporary ‘Stronger Everyday’ campaign featuring US sports stars such as Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers (see case study).
Links:
Milk Life
https://www.instagram.com/milkmustache/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/mymilkmustache/
Team USA
https://www.facebook.com/TeamUSA
https://www.instagram.com/teamusa/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/teamusa/
http://www.youtube.com/user/TeamUSA?sub_confirmation=1
