Milk Manga
I was paging through the new issue of Communication Arts - the 2023 annual advertising competition - and this one stopped me.
It was a little familiar but also completely new.
A heart-warming case about getting school children to finish their milk by printing comics on the bottle in white ink.
When I read the credits, I discovered it was the work of VMLY&R Ogilvy Japan, a place where I spent a good part of my working life (five years at Ogilvy Japan).
Here's the story behind the work.
The Client
Seki Milk, Gifu Prefecture
The Problem
In many parts of Japan, more than half of elementary school kids don’t receive the recommended nutritional balance because they’re not finishing their daily bottle of milk.
The Solution
To ensure kids were getting the nutrition they needed, Seki Milk printed manga comics right on the bottles in white ink. The more milk the kids drank, the more a fun story was revealed - and the more nutrition they consumed.
This work has won a lot of awards and recognition this year, and I hope it continues to.
Using nontraditional (package) advertising to build a healthier society is a creative and productive way to apply this craft of ours.
And I hope it keeps winning so it inspires others to seek purpose and raise expectations.
