Our objective was to advocate for Big Dairy to match Oatly’s commitment to transparency of our respective climate footprints. To provocatively call the industry to action on behalf of consumers who deserve to know how their choices impact the planet.

Hence we launched “The Dairy Deal” - a series of outdoor ads offering free premium ad space to any dairy company willing to show consumers their climate footprints. That’s right – advertising that advertised free advertising!

In billboards that spanned major cities in the US and UK, we bought adjacent units in high-traffic areas like Times Square. On one side we announced Oatly’s climate footprint labels. On the other, we called the Dairy industry to action. A QR code linked to a website where Dairy executive types could submit their application. Upon vetting their credentials, Oatly would foot the bill for future ads to proudly showcase our dairy frenemies’ numbers.

Guess how many dairy companies took us up on it? None! Maybe they just missed it? Not likely. As they say in advertising awards submissions – people took notice!

The campaign garnered over 450 million earned impressions in major publications like Bloomberg Business, Fast Company, and several others.

In response, the British government reached out to invite us to join the food data transparency partnership, a task force thats advises the government on climate labeling. And shortly after the campaign, Oatly was ranked as the most sustainable food and drink brand by UK consumers.

So while it turns out this was an offer that Big Dairy could refuse, it ultimately achieved its one most important KPI – advocating for greater transparency around the food choices we make everyday.