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The UK dairy industry and dairy-alternative brand Alpro have both launched campaigns amid a decreased demand for dairy products.

Created by PR agency Weber Shandwick for Dairy UK and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, and containing clips from , the dairy industry's first TV spot for two decades, "Milk your moments", shows people as they interact with each other during Covid-19. It depicts family members bonding over a cup of tea (via Zoom, of course), while others use milk to bake together at home.

The campaign is supported by digital, social media and in-store activity. It was created by Tim Palmer, while media was handled by Manning Gottlieb OMD.

Consumers are encouraged to share their own moments of connection across social platforms using the hashtag #milkyourmoments, while for every visit to the campaign , the dairy industry will donate £1 to mental-health charity Mind, up to a maximum of £100,000.

Alpro, meanwhile, has unveiled a campaign highlighting the growing popularity of plant-based milk alternatives. It spoofs a previous milk industry ad and features three celebrities from that spot – each of whom has, over the past decade, given up dairy.

Created by PR agency Richmond & Towers, the campaign, which references Milk Marketing Forum’s 2010 "Make mine milk", sees the return of Vinnie Jones, Pixie Lott and Nicola Adams as they boast "moatstaches" (oat moustaches) to promote Alpro’s oat-drink range. 

The work launched yesterday (Monday) across social media, digital and out-of-home, alongside a radio partnership with Heart and Capital. It does not affect Alpro's relationship with its European creative agency, VMLY&R.

According to data from Nielsen Scantrack, sales of products made from oat, almond and soya have increased by 239% between February 2010 and February 2020, with the plant-based food market valued at £460m.

David Jiscoot, marketing director at Alpro UK and Ireland, told ±±¾©Èü³µpk10: "The future is plant-based, for both health and sustainability reasons. And what better way to prove this than through spoofing the ‘Make mine milk’ campaign?

"Plant-based products are better for your health and better for the planet, but cheerleading is how people would love to be treated."

±±¾©Èü³µpk10 asked Alpro whether it saw any legal issues with the work, which, as well as featuring the same celebrities and the moustache visual motif, reuses the same typeface as the Milk Marketing Forum campaign and adapts its slogan. The brand has yet to respond.

Last month, the UK government created a fund to support farmers in light of a decreased demand for dairy products in bars, restaurants and cafés during the coronavirus pandemic and announced plans for a £1m campaign to  and help producers use their surplus stock.