MILO, while not rejected, was increasingly being forgotten and moved further to the back of the kitchen pantry. Market penetration had declined and stagnated over the years with increasing competition from on-the-go brands replacing the afternoon consumption moment for Aussie kids across the country.

When Australia went into ‘national lockdown’ due to COVID-19, and kids organized sports were unilaterally cancelled, there was concern that MILO’s market penetration decline would accelerate. MILO, a brand synonymous with organized sport and out-of-home activities, needed to establish a relevant and compelling reason for customers to purchase the product.

MILO’s objective was clear – increase market penetration by +2.1pts, equating to an incremental +165,000 households.

As families and friends took to social media on mass to find escape from lockdown culture, we set out to create a social at heart idea that would increase Social Media engagement, MILO brand love, and ultimately market penetration.

MILO started a national debate by asking Aussies which way they liked their MILO – HOT or COLD?

Social media activity had skyrocketed in Australia during lockdown with 72% of Aussies using a social network and a massive 36% increasing their usage.

With an idea that was social at heart, we got Aussies talking up their love for MILO – Hot or Cold – while they were reaching for a mug or glass. This ‘talk’ would be measured in our Social Media engagement numbers, and their consumption ultimately measured by increased penetration numbers.

We recruited Fitzy and Wippa, hilarious hosts of one of Australia’s most popular morning radio shows, to kick-start our national debate. What began as playful banter on air on radio, quickly spiralled into a vociferous social media debate. Australians took note and began to pick sides.

It was on – MILO Hot V Cold.

(Most) Australians have grown up with Milo and have fond memories of drinking it as a kid.

While the majority no longer fit the target profile, a huge number of Aussies still love the stuff, enjoying their own ritual of adding and mixing three heaped spoons of MILO into hot water or cold milk.

How could we leverage this brand love?

During lockdown, our country was divided – we had toilet paper hoarders versus those who felt hoarding was un-Australian, Karen’s, cancel culture, US politics and so on.

Aussies love nothing more than the division of a good rivalry.

Amazingly, we had one ready to go: Aussies couldn’t agree whether MILO tasted best hot or cold.

We gave Aussies a reason to grab a MILO and pick a side.

In April, we asked Aussies “What side are you on?” #MILOTeamHot or #MILOTeamCold

Fitzy and Wippa, hilarious hosts of one of Australia’s most popular morning radio shows, kick-started our national debate, gaining mainstream news attention.

Meanwhile, we launched two separate online campaigns; one advocating for Hot MILO and a second championing Cold MILO.

We then turned up the rivalry allowing both teams to vote using Facebook or Twitter polls.

In June, we released a series of tasty MILO memes across social targeting look-a-like audiences to stir the vote.

Next, we recruited Tik Tok influencers to spread the word using their content and channels.

Limited edition ‘Hot’ and ‘Cold’ tins were sent to journalists and influencers to gain earned media and user generated content.

We turned passionate MILO lovers into an army of content creators, as film stars, politician’s and even other brands, took to Twitter supporting either #MILOTeamHot or #MILOTeamCold.

MILO Hot V Cold divided the internet from April to August 2020 and created quite a stir …

MILO’s Instagram channel grew by 3x the users over 3 months.

MILO’s branded Snapchat lens was organically played for an average of 24 seconds – far higher than the Snapchat average of 13 seconds.

#MILOHotVCold was the #3 trending topic on Twitter for a week in June and was named Twitter Australia’s most successful marketing campaign for 2020.

The Average Organic Reach on Facebook was 9.4x greater than it was pre-campaign, reaching an average of 5,438 people (target 2,905 / result 5,438).

Over 91K Aussies from every state and territory voted either MILO Hot or Cold, delivering a win for #MILOTeamCold and the brands highest ever online penetration.