'GOT MILK?' AD TO SPILL NATIONALLY

BERKELEY, Calif. -- The "got milk?" advertising campaign that adorned billboards throughout California will be seen across the country this autumn.

the board.

The campaign will make its first nationwide television appearance Sept. 18, according to Jeff Manning, a spokesman for CMPB.

Fifteen to 20 state groups will be using the campaign, Manning said, with each one deciding what type of advertising will serve its purposes.

"It's a state-by-state decision, [whether to use] both indoor and outdoor advertising," he told SN.

Milk processors recently voted to extend the campaign until 1999, with funds amounting to over $20 million per year. "For the first time in the dairy industry, milk has been marketed, not just advertised, in a way that makes it truly competitive with other beverages," said Dick Walrack, chairman of CMPB, in the official statement.

"While we are proud of the very high levels of 'got milk?' awareness -- 90% in June 1995 -- we realize our true success story will be a real increase in milk usage and sales and we are working to make them even higher in the years to come."

Indications are good so far, Manning notes. Frequency of usage in California is up to 4.3 times a day since the campaign started, from 3.9 times a day in October 1993, he said.

And processor sales in California are up 2%, he added. "We process 750 million gallons of milk per year, which is [a retail value of] $2 billion per year, in California," he said. "So [a] 2% or 3% [increase] is a big deal for us."