The Milk Processor Education Program has unveiled a new chocolate milk campaign designed to take advantage of relaxed Olympic marketing rules. The “Built with Chocolate Milk” campaign stars Gold Medal-winning U.S. swimmers Tyler Clary and Jessica Hardy and will emphasize chocolate milk’s role as a recovery beverage in their training. MilkPEP has obtained a waiver from the USOC allowing it to keep running the ads through the Olympics, which previously would have been prohibited under the IOC Rule 40. Coca-Cola property CorePower owns the official, exclusive rights to flavored milk. To qualify for the waiver, MilkPEP’s chocolate milk marketing must avoid any official Olympic imagery or terminology and begin running by March 27 -- the scheduled first air dates for the TV spots, along with the digital and print components. The new ads focus on their training and general athletic prowess, not the Olympics. However, the spots do show Team USA swim caps. MilkPEP’s Chocolate Milk campaign has an official marketing deal with USA Swimming, allowing the term “official recovery beverage of USA Swimming,” but that does not include rights to the Olympic rings or the July 27-Aug. 24 marketing blackout period during the Rio Games. Separately, MilkPEP signed a deal with the USOC for official Olympic rights to white milk specifically -- which does not conflict with Coca Cola’s worldwide deal -- and will run a different campaign, dubbed Milk Life, using those rights. The campaign’s creative concept was devised by Campbell Ewald, N.Y. USA Swimming helped MilkPEP solicit athlete endorsers. Hardy was repped by Erika Wright of Wright Entertainment & Sports, while Clary was repped by Ella Bee Media Group's Richard Thorpe.
