On the 24th of February 1920, a group of gentlemen met at 13 King’s Bench Walk in Temple, London, for what was the first official meeting of the National Milk Publicity Council. The organization they began still exists today as The Dairy Council, and continues the work they began 90 years ago.
It has been an eventful 9o years of dairy marketing, education programmes, industry events, health and nutrition research, and issues management.
Some of the most iconic images in the history of advertising were generated during this time. The ‘Drinka Pinta Milka Day’ slogan of the 1950s entered the national consciousness and earned a place in the dictionary. By the 1980s, this had become ‘Gotta Lotta Bottle’ and in 2000 we were urged to drink ‘The White Stuff’.
Many of the old adverts, promotional and educational materials have been collected and preserved, and are now housed at the History of Advertising Trust in Raveningham, Norfolk.
“The Dairy Council’s historical archive is one of the most fascinating and dynamic living archives in the UK. In the time before the existence of the NHS, the activities and materials documented within it were uniquely created to improve the health and well being of the population, through the promotion of milk and dairy products. With its wealth of historical and social content, it tells the story of every day life in Britain, and is indeed a national treasure.” Barry Cox, Chief Executive, The History of Advertising Trust (www.hatads.org.uk)
Despite changes of identity (The National Milk Publicity Council became the National Dairy Council, then The Dairy Council) the need for an organisation to promote and defend the image of milk has stood the test of time. Today, The Dairy Council continues this work, with its current focus being to provide nutritional expertise to the industry, proactively promote the nutritional benefits of dairy, and protect dairy from inaccurate and unfair publicity.
