MilkPEP’s Miranda Abney on reclaiming milk’s cool factor

You could say that milk has been taken for granted. It’s always just been there — in the fridge, on the table, in your coffee. So, it takes a special kind of marketing to make it part of the cultural conversation. MilkPEP is doing just that. And women are front and center of its campaign to make milk cool again.

One key insight is that women are driving change not just in milk consumption but in endurance sports too. Today, more than half of all marathon finishers are women, yet outdated stereotypes persist about whether distance running is “made” for them. Team Milk sought to flip that narrative with “Every Woman’s Marathon,” a race designed for women by women.

The result? A staggering 4,292 women crossed the finish line last year, with 42% of participants running a marathon for the first time.

Team Milk capitalized on driving the story of the marathon with a documentary centered around different women’s journeys — from training to race day. Miranda Abney, MilkPEP’s VP of consumer marketing, said women are its No. 1 target audience, so there was a natural tie-in.

“The momentum that we’re seeing with moms is something that we have not seen at least in the last two decades with milk,” Abney tells The Current Podcast. Abney ran her first marathon herself. “We are driving real change in perception around milk, especially with moms and women.”

Team Milk, the driving force behind the iconic “Got Milk” commercials, is rewriting the playbook with a fresh tagline: “You’re Gonna Need Milk for That.” The campaign taps into the world of sports, gaming and fitness culture. 

Abney also shares how the rise of plant-based alternatives has forced Team Milk to evolve its marketing strategy. Also, she enthuses about a recent pop culture moment that features Nicole Kidman, a glass of milk and an awards gala.