Portrait of the Author as a Newly Shorn Man

What are you thinking when you buy milk?

A silly question, but one I’ve been asking myself lately. I’ve spent far too many minutes at Kroger, looking at all the brands and variations of milk: The packaging, the names, the information on the labels, the pricing, even the arrangements.

As part of Job No. 3, I’m part of a project to rebrand a particular company’s particular milk. (Actually, that’s what we’ve taken the mission to be; the client’s directive was, simply, “help me sell more milk.”) It’s Sweet Acidolphilus milk, which is the strange moniker given to this milk with a bunch of added vitamins and probiotics… There are a few companies that sell the stuff; some just call it Sweet Acidolphilus, while some others sell it (or a variation of it) with some sort of specific brand name (“Body Boost” is one). The company we’re doing the work for is in the former category, and packages the milk in a normal-shaped but yellow-colored milk jug, with their typical company label and the name “Sweet Acidolphilus” printed on it.

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When I started this blog — actually, carried it over from an old one — it was with the intention of exploring politics, media and culture, three threads of thought that often intertwine. Yet I haven’t been able to shake a little personal blogging as well, and have generally marked these as “Personal Files.”

Today, I’m announcing yet another angle: Marketing. (more…)