Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Found in Mom’s Basement posted this 1962 ad for milk last week.

• Found in Mom’s Basement: 1962 ad for milk, “Get on the Vitality Wagon”

It says:

Popular “Seventeen” models take a refreshing milk break while modeling new plaids.

Get on the Vitality Wagon

Top teen models have discovered how milk helps keep their vitality up through the busy modeling day… keeps ’em with the group on dates! Milk with your meals refreshes… gives lasting energy that keeps you going and glowing. Make milk at mealtime a regular habit. It’s your ticket to join the gang on the vitality wagon!

American Dairy Association: representing the dairy farmers in your area who bring you The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet on ABC-TV.

There is so much WRONG with this ad. Drink milk because teen models do. Drink milk because it refreshes. Drink milk because they sponsor Ozzie & Harriet. Really? Did this sort of advertising work?

Of course it did, just like this commercial worked on ME back in the 80’s:

Milk, it does a body good is a slogan I can STILL repeat even after all these years.

Is milk good for you? Yeah, I think it is, but do we really need all this advertising to prove it to us?