Got Milk...Mario???

The "GOT MILK" campaign was a very successful one. Adverts such as those listed above made it into glossy fashion magazines... There were so many celebrities featured, Models- Tyra Banks for example, Athletes, Actors, You name it, they had them. I guess at least one of the celebrities would be someONE'S hero. Copycat syndrome:my hero drinks milk, maybe i should do the same = More Mlk Sold. The target audience depends on the celebrity i guess. for example, STAR WARS fans have Master Yoda, Lord Of The Rings fans have dear old Gollum...The ad with Liz Hurley claims that drinking skimmed or non fat milk can help lose weight as part of a healthy diet. The ad with Jessica Alba informs people that growth occurs during teenage years and milk is partly responsible for this. There were more controversial ones, but these will have do..In my opinion, when it comes to print ads like the ones above, the ad MUST have an edge,it's the one shot, no motion, no voice..BUT.. Watch Mario below..




I had a Nintendo growing up and must say i was an avid Mario and Luigi fan. My worst villain was "Latiku the cloud". Then in later editions, there was the beast(i forget his name) with a castle and seven children. I can only remember Iggy his son. Anyway, any child who sees Mario as a hero, or even just likes Mario would identify with the ad. Quite simply, Mario becomes weak and can't perform as usual and therefore needs a boost. So he endures a mini- adventure to get to milk, and after drinking, he grows- in strength and size. Message for the children... Follow Mario's footsteps, drink milk and grow. Very wise. Celebrity endorsement. Hopefully, copycat behaviour will stimulate an urge to drink milk and boost sales of milk, from the sponsors...DAIRY FARMERS!! Now, we know milk is good for us, but is the purpose of the ad to boost sales or get us to drink milk for our own health?? Your guess is as good as mine.
And what about Nintendo? The presence of their character in this "good for the kids ad"? Very wise product placement??