The CHANGE UP
MilkUP came to us with what seemed like an impossible goal: getting Gen Z to drink more milk. They are the first generation to drink less milk than previous generations, due to more alternative options and negative perceptions toward dairy.
The Challenge
Set up focus groups of Ontario Gen Z to find out why they didn’t drink milk and what they did like (food preferences, interests, wants and needs)
Through tailored workshops with the client and internal teams, I was able to probe, learn and work together to discover impactful insights that led to our solution
Conducted research to uncover the cultural and competitor landscape
The Prep
Created a Gen Zified pop-up that included things they loved and cared about, which was all post-to-pay
Post-to-pay meant everything was free, but they had to post and follow the MilkUP accounts to “pay”
Partnered with food vendors, vintage stores, and had customizable activities that were all dairy-focused and aligned with Gen Z’s interests
Tapped local influencers to build hype and bring people out to the event, and share positive messaging around dairy
Developed multiple strategies (brand, social, campaign) that aligned MilkUP to Gen Z culture and desires
Cultivated brand positioning, messaging and language to use across various channels (OOH and digital ads, Instagram, TikTok and activations)
Continued to create engaging campaign collateral that aligned with the target audience
The Solution
First pop-up campaign brought in 11K Gen Z and 3+ hour lines each weekend.
Subsequent campaigns saw an increase in followers, foot traffic and sentiment
Positive sentiment grew 17% by the 3rd year working with MilkUP
Had several brands mimic the post-to-pay idea (Adidas, Aritzia and more)
