Monday, October 19, 2009

The Milk Carton

Have you ever had a plastic jugs make you smile? I went to the grocery store today and milk was on the list. It takes me a while to get to the dairy case because it is in the farthest diagonal corner from the entrance as the crow flies. I was looking at all the stuff in the cart that I had collected along my route as I approached the displayed rows of half-gallons, full gallons. Two-percent, one-percent, skim. White, Chocolate, Buttermilk.

I noticed there was a sticker stuck just above the handle but paid no attention to it until I was standing in the check-out line. (Let me interject an opinion here: I LOVE MARKETING GENIUS. It makes me happy. No kidding. Ok, back to the story....) So I'm staring at the magazines lining the cashier's space waiting my turn ever so politely reading all the headlines filled with the latest gossip and I reach down to lift the gallon out of the cart when I hear, "How are you doing today, ma'am? Paper or plastic?".

And that's when I focus on the sticker. It's an ad. For Oreo cookies. Oreo cookies. How smart is that?? Milk and Oreos. As all-American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. I salute whoever came up with this flash of inspiration. It's ingenious. It's clever. It's smart. I LOVE IT!!!!!! So to answer the young cashier's question: I am great!!

(Have you seen the new Budweiser commercial where the hand flips the beer cap upside down to look like a crown perched on the top of the bottle?? The cap isn't new. The bottle isn't new. 'King of beer' claim isn't new. All three have been around for years. But someone got inspired to put the sharp points 'up' creating a whole new take on something so utilitarian. So mundane. Adds another fresh touch to their updated campaign. New twist. Trendy feel. Kudos, Budweiser. Kudos.)