Kerstin Wriedt, Managing Director of the Initiative Milch, and Jens Lönneker had the opportunity to speak in detail with editor Julia Gundelach about the current campaign of the Initative Milch as well as consumer trends and research results relating to milk. There is currently so much going on in hardly any other beverage sector. We were all the more pleased that w&v took up the topic so extensively. Follow the link to the article or read it here in full.

Initiative Milch: Tiktok wakes up the tired milk brand.

Milk doesn't have it easy these days - in times of conscious consumption and the pursuit of sustainability. Especially among young target groups. The Initiative Milch wants to get them excited about the animal product again. And it does so - with lots of music and a new communication strategy.

"Things change. Tastes. Societies. The climate. We are all part of a great transformation story." What sounds like the slogan of a hip energy start-up is the entry to the website for a 7,500 year old product: milk. "The dairy industry is also on the move," it continues. "And is already doing much more than many people think."
This is urgently needed, because the Initiative Milch, which is behind the website, is fighting against changing consumer habits: Milk consumption is falling, per capita consumption of fresh milk products was around 82.47 kilograms in 2023, compared to 93.13 kg in 2014.

Is cow's milk still up to date?

Sustainability is becoming the focus, but milk production is resource-intensive, is considered harmful to the climate and bad for animal welfare. And: The market for substitute products is booming; in 2023, sales of plant-based milk in Germany rose by 85 percent.

Is cow's milk still up to date? Yes, says consumer research. According to a study by Rheingold Salon, more than half of all consumers are convinced that they will still be drinking cow's milk in ten years' time - and are well aware of the advantages of the animal drink: "Nutritious", "traditional", "tasty" and "rich" are attributes that Germans most readily associate with cow's milk.

Values that the product is now building on in order to remain relevant. "Milk has a valuable asset that has been firmly anchored in people's minds for a long time," says Jens Lönneker, Managing Director and founder of Rheingold Salon: "Power." The task for marketing is now to transform this power in such a way that it corresponds to modern eating habits.
And that's what the Initiative Milch is doing - with products that play a greater role in communication today than they used to, such as ayran, protein shakes or yogurt.

"Changing living conditions also mean that the range of products and demand are changing," says Kerstin Wriedt, Managing Director of the Initiative Milch. "For the supposed `Post Milk Generation', such products are more relevant than classic drinking milk."

Alternative milk products are on trend.

So that means: Young people don't necessarily switch to plant-based alternatives - but often to alternative milk products.

The initiative is also focusing on more contemporary communication. This includes a modern website that provides information and clears up myths, social media such as a hip Tiktok account with 'POV's' and trendy recipes, as well as the podcast "Let's Talk Milch", which deals with topics such as "The cow is more than a CO₂ footprint".

The "Milch macht's" campaign (agency: Fischer Appelt) was launched in the summer, along with a feel-good spot that is primarily intended to make young people want to buy milk products - and is quite surprising for a 7,000-year-old product: A white-clad man sits at a family's kitchen table, symbolizing the outdated and immobile milk.
But when the son opens his milk carton, the guest really gets going and dances with breakdance moves to "Sing Hallelujah" (here: "Sing Hallemuhjah") at the Späti, in the restaurant or in the gym - wherever milk is consumed today. And that's not just at the kitchen table at home.

Smart circular economy, modern animal husbandry

While it used to be about showing that milk makes you big and strong, now it's about milk moving towards a smart circular economy and modern animal husbandry. Now this modern image must also get into the minds of consumers.
The spot has succeeded in doing this, explains Lönneker, who has carried out accompanying research. This shows that the power of milk is being successfully staged in a new light, it's about dancing, the form of expression of the young generation. "And anyone who dances like that needs power." Power that is in the milk.

Limited advertising budget

Although the Initiative's budget is limited, it uses it tactically, with eye-catching, digital out-of-home measures, social assets that highlight various aspects of milk and trailers in selected Burger King and McDonald's stores. The campaign is also running on Spotify at the beginning of the Böhmermann podcast "Fest und Flauschig".

Wriedt can even imagine the Initiative Milch being present at a festival. Influencers are also used - but less in the sense of classic collaborations. "Our influencers go to the farmers, ask questions and provide information. Otherwise the community won't accept it," says Wriedt. The Initiative Milch not only shows that milk does it, but above all what it actually does. This is primarily intended to convince young target groups, families and people who pay attention to body shaping.

"Vegans are not our target group," says Wriedt. Because anyone who doesn't consume animal products for ethical reasons won't be convinced by even the best campaign. Flexitarians who use alternatives but have nothing against cow's milk products are more exciting for the initiative. What you consume when depends on your constitution, explains researcher Lönneker.

Oat milk fits into the chic café, and in the evening when eating with friends, it can be expensive mountain cheese or chocolate tart. Milk as a good addition to a plant-based diet - a forward-looking positioning. "Who does something like that?" ask two passers-by at the end of the spot who watch the milk dancer rapping on a bale of hay. "Milk makes it happen!"