Nestlé's latest campaign could’ve gone the extra Milo

Fun fact: did you know that chocolate is considered a toxic substance for squirrels? You’d think this cocoa, nutty delight would be a sure-fire winner when it comes to the average Ad Nut diet, but nope. One bite of that decadent, oozy goodness, and this little medium-sized sass-rodent is done for. 

Perhaps this fun fact is also the reason why Milo Australia’s new ‘Mix It Up’ campaign is giving Ad Nut an itch, and not the kind it really wants to scratch. Created by Ogilvy in Sydney, the campaign which aims to refamiliarise teens and young adults with Milo (while also introducing them to Milo Pro, a new protein product) reframes the popular drink as beyond just a beverage.

Rather, Milo is a portal of self-expression, individualism, and personal taste – depending on how you like to mix it up and consume it. From the use of power tools for maximum froth, to a human ladle stirring inside a giant record-breaking (*self-declared*) hot tub of the chocolatey stuff, the campaign really wants you to embrace the sum quod sum spirit in you.

Now as an artiste of one's own calling, Ad Nut can get behind this valiant effort. What it cannot get behind however, is the execution of this creative.

For you see, Ad Nut wishes Milo would’ve taken their own slogan’s advice on this campaign – live across digital platforms, social media, and OOH – and truly mixed it up. Founded in 1934 by Australian food scientist Thomas Mayne, and consumed pretty much the exact same way since (mixed and dissolved to be drank hot or cold), you could forgive Ad Nut for being a little confused to see a campaign claiming to revolutionise a product for the very thing it was invented for?

Especially when mixing it 'your way' results in a potentially hefty bill for kitchen renovations (Ad Nut is looking at you, power tool guy). Wouldn’t it have been more ingenious to have a campaign entitled ‘Let it Float’, whereby Ad Nut could simply heap a spoonful of the dusky powder into a fresh cup of milk, and watch it bob on the surface until it slowly seeped away out of existence, much like a squirrel bank at the end of a frosty winter?

To add (or ad teehee), several of the campaign snippets also feature the aforementioned (self-declared) record-breaking hot tub, filled with liquid Milo goodness, as well as two human sacrifices willing to scald themselves in the pursuit of joe de vivre inspired by tinned goods.

Call Ad Nut uncultured, but a good old-fashioned woodland-friendly mud bath would’ve done quite the same job, and kept most of their skin intact. Props to the team however, for casting a diverse range of actors for the campaign – especially the previously noted power drill guy, who genuinely seems to be having the time of his life. A star is born.

Ad Nut is a huge fan of stirring the spoon on one’s own preferences and LOVES a good rite of drinkable passage from one Aussie generation to another, but sadly, this campaign is one cup of Milo Ad Nut just can’t seem to sip on.

CREDITS

Client: Nestlé
Creative Agency: Ogilvy
Media: UM
Production company: The Barbershop
Director: Toby Morris

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.