Milk Development Council ads to target teenage girls

The Milk Development Council (MDC) is to hit back at potentially dangerous dieting fads such as Atkins Diet, which restricts the intake of full-fat milk, with a &£3m advertising campaign targeting teenage girls for the first time and promoting the benefits of milk, cheese and yoghurt.

The MDC has received backing from the European Commission, which has handed the organisation &£1.5m to fund the campaign. The advertising will be the first industry-wide campaign for dairy products since the iconic “White Stuff” campaign.

The move has been sparked by an MDC survey showing that about 74 per cent of teenage girls avoid dairy products, something the organisation blames on a lack of knowledge and a misconception that dairy products contain high levels of fat.

MDC marketing manager Vicky Hathaway says that recent diet fads have had a huge impact on the body image of teenage girls. She says that 80 per cent of those polled had concerns with their body image, while 50 per cent have worries about being overweight. Dairy products are frowned upon by a number of diets, with milk, for example, discouraged under the popular Atkins diet.

The advertising, which has been created by Iris, will begin in March and run for two years. The campaign, which will include cinema, radio, magazine and online advertising, will tell teenagers about the beauty benefits of dairy products.