How Ogilvy Is Encouraging Bravery When It Comes to MILO
Family recipes are insanely special. After all, no one will be able to make a cake quite as good as your nanna does.
Chicken soup just isn’t the same unless it’s been made in dad’s old pot, stained with flavour from years of vegetables scraping the bottom.
Breakfast and cups of tea on a Sunday morning taste bland unless you can see mum sneaking bits of crispy bacon from the pan before serving up the rest.
And those after school toasted sandwiches that your sibling kindly made you when you were little. It doesn’t matter if you buy the same ingredients because the memory is far more powerful than your tastebuds.
The same goes for MILO - especially for Aussie kids.
MILO isn’t simply a drink, it’s a way of life. Each person has their own interpretation of what the best way to prepare MILO is. And you best believe that recipes are passed down from parent to child, sibling to sibling and friend to friend.
Andrew Hankin, group creative director at Ogilvy Sydney captured this ever important tradition in the newest MILO spot, “Mix it up”. Encouraging people to do MILO their own way and giving LBB a taste of what it takes to make MILO.
LBB> Firstly, is there really a world record for the world's largest hot tub of MILO?
Andrew> Haha, Not yet. But there should be! Injecting a bit of fun and talkability back into the brand is certainly something this campaign will be embracing.
LBB> What was the inspiration behind exploring all avenues of the ‘perfect MILO’?
Andrew> MILO has always been linked to grassroots sports in Australia. I’m sure we’ve all enjoyed a MILO after sport or swung a MILO cricket bat at school, it’s really been a part of growing up here. But during the height of COVD when sports were essentially cancelled we had to pivot (remember that word) and focus more on MILO and the different ways people enjoy it. While that may seem painfully obvious, it was a necessary reset to bring in a new generation of MILO drinkers who had either forgotten or didn’t really know much about the MILO taste.
LBB> Along with the massive hot tub and power tool blender, were there any iterations of the ‘perfect MILO’ that didn’t make the final cut?
Andrew> Plenty! With a campaign that’s meant to have fun with both how people like to have their MILO but also their ritual in making it means you’ll see loads more executions that push the boundaries. MILO shoey anyone?
LBB> What were the highlights of working on this campaign?
Andrew> From a creative point of view, bringing a fresh new approach to the brand. From a production point of view, getting a whole suburb to smell like MILO!
LBB> What did you learn during the creative process?
Andrew> As a custodian of an iconic brand, there’s a fine balance between honouring where the brand has always been and moving it forward. If you had told me five years ago we’d be showing MILO being made in a hot tub I wouldn’t believe you! However, having explored how much people like talking about MILO and how passionate people get over the best way to have it has really shown that when you have a brand people love, you need to have a platform that lets them do just that. And certainly UGC should form a part of that down the road.
LBB> What does the future hold for this campaign?
Andrew> Mix It Up is obviously a line that is quite literal with the product but also a bigger idea for how the brand acts. Can it be an idea for us to celebrate the different ways we all enjoy MILO? Yes. Can it be an idea for us to show how we talk about sustainability? Yes. Can it be an organising principle that guides how we find a new way into grassroots sports or touch on bigger subjects like equal access to sports for all kids? Absolutely.
This is an idea with great stretch and we’re really looking forward to showing how it evolves over time.
LBB> Finally, how do you personally like to have your MILO?
Andrew> Definitely team hot - so the shift in weather this week has been nice for a MILO or two in the evenings. My tip is to try it with a pinch of salt!
