Got Anime? Why MilkPEP Turned to Crunchyroll to Sell Dairy to Gen Z

For years, the U.S. dairy industry’s signature slogan was “Milk: It Does a Body Good.” Now, Big Milk is tapping into Gen Z’s anime obsession to promote the drink’s benefits, while winking at what it can’t deliver.

“Milk Can Help,” is the latest campaign from the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP)— a USDA-backed nonprofit funded by a mandatory levy on dairy processors. It comprises a series of funny, self-aware anime-inspired videos showing how milk can help build muscle and height, while also highlighting the things milk probably can’t do, like stop a Kaiju attack or heal a broken heart.

The videos use Japanese-style anime aesthetic but feature characters that represent the cultural diversity of the U.S. 

Developed by Stagwell-owned agency Gale to help MilkPEP engage younger audiences, the creative was a collaboration with Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning animation studio, Nexus Studios.

The campaign launched in early July with a homepage takeover on Crunchyroll, a popular anime streaming and video site. 15 and 6-second versions are also running on platforms such as TikTok and Snap.

Anime’s over-the-top storytelling and expressive visuals offer a flexible canvas for brands, while placements on niche platforms like Crunchyroll can help advertisers stand out in a sea of cluttered platforms, Gale’s creative director, Ali Eng, told ADWEEK.

Anime is already booming with young and diverse audiences, and brands including Toyota have also been investing in the medium.

A 2024 survey by Vox Media found 42% of Gen Z watched the genre each week. The report also noted anime over-indexed among Black, Asian, Latino, and LGBTQ+ U.S. audiences in the U.S. Crunchyroll was listed as the fourth most popular platform where Gen Z and millennials tuned in, behind Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix.

Differentiating Dairy

After years of decline, things are looking glass half full for the dairy industry.

In 2024, U.S. consumption of whole milk increased 3.2% over 2023, according to data from market research firm Circana. This marked just the second annual increase since the 1970s. MilkPEP estimates U.S. fluid milk sales grew 0.8% in 2024, or about 40 million gallons.

Big Dairy has sought to stand out after years of ceding ground to plant-based alternatives. However, MilkPEP’s new ads attempt to be self-aware of milk’s stigma of being “more on the plain side,” Eng said. 

“It’s important to lean into the human and cultural truths like the relatability,” Eng added, noting MilkPEP is working to embed itself deeper into culture.

Gale has been helping the agency reengineer its iconic “Got Milk?” campaign for a new generation, through campaigns featuring talent such as Queen Latifah and Saturday Night Live star Vanessa Bayer.

The nonprofit has also been tapping into TikTok trends like 2024’s “How It Started / How It’s Going,” and recently it also partnered with Fortnite streamer Aussie Antics on a live, chat-driven puzzle to reveal the “Milk Cup ” finals soccer tournament location. 

Quality over Quantity

While generative AI has been gaining steam among creative agencies, Eng said it wasn’t used in this campaign.

The creative argued the tech wouldn’t be capable of capturing the desired nuance in storylines and visuals, and likely would’ve still churned out quantity instead of quality.

“I’m not sure AI could have captured those more charming moments,” she said.