"Got Milk?' was the cream of the campaign crop in the 90s.

Americans were down on their dairy intake. And the industry's solution to this became one of the most famous ad campaigns in history.

One that had celebrities calling, begging to be included in the iconic Milk Moustache phenomenon that dominated print media at the time.

'Got Milk?' was printed on Oreo and Cheerio boxes. Even Mattel began producing Hot Wheels and Barbies with the famed slogan attached.

After a long run, the ad campaign was retired in 2014.

Plant based milks have plagued - I mean - overpowered the market.

And Big Dairy must have decided enough is enough.

Because last year, they revived the iconic motif in a campaign featuring Aubrey Plaza sporting a familiar creamy arc on her upper lip.

The return of 'Got Milk?' is a sign of the times. Floods, droughts, rising costs, infrastructure issues, and now alternative milks mean consumption culture has shifted away from dairy once again.

It's also an example of how to leverage cultural moments for campaign success.

You couldn't open a People Magazine or a Parade without seeing a celeb donning a milk moustache. But the campaign actually began before such executions, in the form of bizarre government sponsored ads.

In the early 90s, Americans were dining out more than ever before, skipping home-cooked meals that would have usually been accompanied by a glass of milk (or juice.)

Not only this, but soda consumption was climbing steadily toward its peak. In 1998, Americans were drinking 53 gallons per capita.

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners were the agency that first came up with the idea that the campaign should leave out the 'it's good for you, this is why you need it' BS. Instead, they decided focus on what life would be like without the staple beverage.

In one sketch, a man receives a surprise radio call offering him $10,000 to name Hamilton's assassin. But because he's eating a peanut butter sandwich and has run out of milk, he can't answer properly.

Another ad was a dad who ran out of milk at breakfast time and had to decide whether the baby or the cat should sacrifice their meal for him.

Nonetheless, they got the attention of MilkPEP (a funded checkoff for milk buyers), who decided to join forces in the battle to make milk cool again (with celebrities and milk moustaches, apparently.)

Photographed by the Annie Leibovitz, the ads did not just harness celebrity worship. They curated it. Milk ads only featured stars that were at the peak of their popularity. Stars like Buffy's Sarah Michelle Gellar, a smizing Tyra Banks, a skinny wee Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle, even Kermit The Frog.

The ads leveraged the star power of these cultural figures to turn audiences back to the creamy beverage.

Got beer? Got Hair? Got Jesus? Copycats of the milky marketing were everywhere. By 1997, national awareness of "Got Milk?' was pushing 90 percent.

Even still, the phrase rings through popular culture. That's why MilkPEP knew it could still be used in 2023.

But, with a twist, of course.