Courtesy Of The MilkPEP
- Actor Aubrey Plaza took heat after starring in a campaign that mocked plant-based milk with the fake brand "Wood Milk."
- Social media users have been quick to call out Plaza, as well as others like Emma Roberts, for recent collaborations with Big Milk.
- Last year, Gen Z purchased 20% less cow's milk than the national average, market research shows.
Big Milk is once again enlisting the help of celebrities to sell its products, but unlike the iconic "Got Milk?" ads of the 1990s and early 2000s, these new campaigns are sparking outrage in the era of plant-based milks.
Social media users are slamming celebrities like Aubrey Plaza and Emma Roberts for participating in what some are calling "cow milk propaganda" after starring in recent campaigns led by the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), the organization that created the "Got Milk?" ads and turned milk mustaches into a cultural phenomenon.
Their frustration comes as MilkPEP tries to curry favor with younger consumers who are increasingly turning to milk alternatives: In 2022 alone, Gen Z bought 20% less cow's milk than the rest of the US.
Plaza was the latest to take heat, after ads surfaced last week of the "White Lotus" star mocking plant-based milk in a promotion for a fake product called "Wood Milk." The rollout features social media accounts dedicated to the spoof company, a website, and even actual Wood Milk T-shirts.
"Is Wood Milk real? Absolutely not," Plaza said in the satirical commercial. "Only real milk is real."
The following disclaimer is featured at the bottom of Wood Milk's site: "Our eco-friendly shirts are legit and we will be planting real trees in the ground, but please be advised that Wood Milk is 100% fake and completely made up. Only dairy milk is real milk. Paid for by America's Milk Companies."
Just one week after the viral video was uploaded to Instagram the comments have been disabled off after it was flooded with outraged users commenting on Plaza promoting the consumption of animal milk over plant-based alternatives.
Even People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals chimed in to echo the disdain in her Instagram comments. According to screenshots of the comment section before it was closed shared by PETA, users called the ad "pathetic" and "disgusting."
—PETA (@peta) April 20, 2023
"I'm not mad just disappointed," one comment read, per PETA.
"Oh my god. I thought we left the cow milk propaganda in the 90s lol," another wrote.
"American Horror Story" actor Emma Roberts was also recently enlisted for a paid promotional Instagram post of milk in March, part of MilkPEP's "Gonna Need Milk" campaign. Like Plaza, she was also criticized on social media for the ad.
"Fun fact!! I've been a lifelong milk drinker because of its essential nutrients that many milk alternatives don't have, and not to mention it tastes delicious (especially) in my latte," the caption read.
The comments of her ad are also disabled, thought that didn't stop Twitter users from both calling out the actress for her participation in the campaign, as well as voicing support.
"emma roberts sponsored by the dairy industry to promote cow milk," wrote one Twitter user. "girl….. in 2023?"
—ryan (@fandomsvisual) March 30, 2023
"Are people seriously canceling Emma Roberts....for a milk ad??" wrote another. "Out of all things? You all people need to get off the internet and get a life cuz this is embarassing."
Representatives for Roberts, Plaza, and the MilkPEP did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment.
Big Milk has been struggling to find its footing since the heyday of the "Got Milk?" campaign. Yin Woon Rani, chief executive of the MilkPEP, told the New York Times earlier this month the organization is trying to "reclaim milk's mojo."
"We sometimes refer to milk as the O.G. sports drink, powering athletes for 10,000 years," said Rani.