An advertisement for Swedish vegan oat milk brand Oatly was recently spotted on All 4, the on-demand platform for Channel 4. The airing of the commercial follows the brand’s announcement of a new UK-based advertisement campaign.
The 15-second long commercial, which was originally filmed in 2017, features the company’s CEO Tony Petersson in a field of oats in southern Sweden, where the company’s offices are located. He has just four things: a keyboard, a carton of Oatly, a glass of the dairy-free oat milk, and his creativity. Petersson jams out on the keyboard while singing the song “Wow No Cow, which according to the company, “he wrote entirely by himself to explain exactly what Oatly is all about.”
“Please feel free to like, share and comment. Toni is a big boy, he can take it. …Please feel free to use this song however you wish or make your own version and post it on YouTube. Toni won’t care (as long as it is not better than the original),” the company added.
it’s like milk, but made for humans
Founded in the 1990’s, Oatly advertises its product as milk for a “Post-Milk Generation,” and has adopted the pro-animal rights slogan “it’s like milk, but made for humans.”
In 2015, the Swedish dairy industry took offense to the implication that cow’s milk is not fit for human consumption and filed a lawsuit against Oatly. The vegan company lost the case but has not wavered on its stance since. The message now features on a billboard in Rotterdam, as well as on posters in London underground stations, which are part of the new £700,000 UK-focused ad campaign.
“Some consider our messaging to be controversial. We disagree. It’s fact, because our oat drinks actually are made for humans, rather than for baby cows,” said Michael Lee, Oatly’s creative and strategic director for international markets. “Although we lost a lawsuit from the Swedish dairy industry in 2015, we still believe in the line, it’s still the truth, which is why you’re seeing it across the UK.”
Oatly’s new UK ads can be found in a number of underground stations throughout London, including Kings Cross, Oxford Circus, Shoreditch, Peckham, and Brixton.
Image Credit: Oatly
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