If you’ve scrolled through social media lately, then you might have seen the advertisement campaign for “Wood Milk.” This campaign is meant to call attention to plant-based milk alternatives while making some fun of broader food-brand claims of environmental and animal-friendly products.
The ad— funded through MilkPEP — features “White Lotus” actress, Aubrey Plaza, as the co-founder of Wood Milk in a parody of the iconic “Got milk” advertising campaign.
According to Yin Woon Rani, CEO of MilkPEP, the goal is that Wood Milk would cause people to pause and question what they are consuming and the nutritional value of their choices.
“Following the recent FDA guidance suggesting that plant-based alternatives can label themselves as ‘milk’ so long as any nutritional differences to real dairy milk are clearly identified, we wanted to create a standout, satirical piece that created conversation and shines a light on the fact that many people do not know the nutritional value of their beverages – or lack thereof. We recognize that the beverage market is continuing to grow and consumers are increasingly faced with more and more options,” she remarked.
Plaza then stares at a tree in an orchard and responds, “I did.”
She then introduces herself as the co-founder of Wood Milk, “The world’s first and only milk made from wood.”
The ad is revealed by the end to be a knock-off of the “Got Milk?” campaign.
“Is wood milk real? Absolutely not. Only real milk is real.” Plaza says in closing. “Then what did I invest in?!”
Rani shares that the campaign comes on the heels of the FDA’s recent guidance that recommends plant-based milk alternatives labeled “milk” that have a nutrient composition different from milk need to state that on the label.
“Our hope is that Wood Milk causes people to pause, to understand what they are consuming and the nutritional value of their choices. Dairy milk is a benchmark for essential nutrients for a reason,” Rani says, stating they created the fictitious Wood Milk, a made-up brand with zero nutritional value, in hopes to bring the power and goodness of real milk into the spotlight.
While this YouTube video has more than 4.4 million views, not all comments have been positive.
One person commented:
“I’m so heartbroken y’all. Aubrey Plaza out here doing ads for the dairy industry trying to make fun of plant milks by shilling “wood milk”.
The desperation,” another person tweeted, adding a sobbing emoji. “Aubrey how could you!”
Plaza has since turned off the comments on her Instagram post of the ad, although people are commenting on Plaza’s other, non-milk-related posts to express their dismay.
“We understand that everyone has their own opinion,” Rani noted. “However, we stand by our belief that real dairy milk is a nutritional powerhouse and a delicious addition to a healthy diet. We anticipated that Wood Milk wouldn’t be for everyone, but we wanted to start a conversation. While we expected backlash from the anti-dairy crowd, there is an entire community fired up – #WoodMilkNation – and our fictitious social handles are still continuing to grow with support. We are celebrating this community of support!”
