Lattes: They Do the Body Good?

The "Got Milk?" campaign was launched in 1993. Its success turned around twenty years of dismal milk sales by promoting the role milk plays in a healthy lifestyle. Over the last 25 years, celebrities and popular cartoon characters alike have donned the infamous milk mustache. The campaign's goal, so it seemed, was to educate the masses. Viewers of both the TV commercials and the print ads were told that their bodies needed milk's calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins D, A, and B12 to fend off a number of ailments: osteoporosis, weight gain, PMS symptoms- to name a few. The ads even address the fear-of-fat mentality that has gripped American society. Such ads typically feature gorgeous female celebs informing women that low-fat and non-fat milk offer the same health benefits as whole milk. No more excuses. No more fear. Milk does everyone's body good. Except of course the lactose-intolerant.

But that 2006 warning-label controversy is for another day. At issue here is the latest Got Milk? print ad. One could even call it the "Starbucks Grande Latte ad". As it features a Starbucks barista wearing his freshly pressed uniform and holding a Grande Latte; and that white, milky 'stache. The traditional paragraph at the bottom of the ad descriptively advertises Starbucks's milky beverages- i.e. the Grande Latte seen above. Apparently latte drinkers will "fall in love at first sip". Not only because of the latte's "frothy goodness", but because the drink will meet half of the day's recommended dairy intake. The conclusion? Drink Starbucks of course.

Why Starbucks and Milk? What does either company offer the other? Starbucks has its massive following and milk has its nutrition. And "Now given how health conscious people are, Starbucks saw this as a great way to get milk in the diet," said Sal Taibi. Mr Taibi is the president of Lowe/New York, the company behind the ad.