Wow, no cow!

AUCKLAND, Friday: Swedish global oatmilk producer Oatly has launched a new campaign, It’s like milk, but made for humans campaign, in New Zealand. The creative for the campaign is out of Oatly’s in-house Department of of Mind Control, with media by PHD NZ.

AUNZ PR is out of Ground Australia

The campaign explains that “unlike milk which is designed for baby cows to grow into adult cows, Oatly is made from oats and is designed for humans”.

The launch is supported by a digital media buy campaign across social media, OOH and retail, as well as a radio partnership with 95bFM and a free coffee activation in cafes across Auckland and Wellington.

The campaign first launched in Sweden in 2015 and saw the brand sued by the country’s dairy industry which argued that Oatly’s marketing activity disparaged cow’s milk as unhealthy.

“New Zealand is home to very few Swedish dairy lobbyists, so we think the campaign will be well-received.”

Then in 2021 they launched in the US – with a controversial campaign called Wow, no cow! (along with more threats of lawsuits).

Oatly’s Stockholm-based creative director Kevin Lynch (ex-BBDO China) said: “Controversial or not, the statement is true – our oat milk is indeed intended for humans.

“Plus, based on our research, we found that New Zealand is home to very few Swedish dairy lobbyists, so we think the campaign will be well-received.”

The launch is supported by a digital media buy campaign across social media (YouTube, Instagram and Facebook), OOH via billboards and street posters in Auckland and Wellington city centres from now through 3 July.

The product is available in NZ at over 180 retail locations.

Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, the Oatly brand is available in more than 20 countries globally.

• www.oatly.com