Oatly is enlisting teens to help convince their fathers to make the switch from animal’s milk to plant-based. Two humorous ads aired back-to-back during primetime television on ITV1, depicting teenagers coaxing their dads into drinking oat milk or shaming them for not making the switch from dairy. The brand also launched a website of resources for kids on how to convince their dad, with advice on how to neutralise typical arguments against vegan milk and stats around the environmental impact of dairy to share with dads. “We know we’re in the midst of a climate emergency, but there’s a group in society who aren’t grasping the urgency of it,” says Oatly creative director Michael Lee.

When it comes to vegan food, oat milk is a success story, making up 30% of the UK’s plant-based milk market. But it hasn’t quite converted Gen Xer, Boomer, and Senior men, who may think of plant-based food as somehow less manly. According to Oatly’s website, men aged 44-75 are the least interested in anything vegan, and only 8% think that dairy has an impact on the environment. Meanwhile, 86% say that meat and dairy are either an essential part of their diet or ‘part of their life’. Even though Oatly’s comedic approach angered some viewers because it appeared to mock alcoholism, bringing a light touch to a serious conversation is a smart move and could go some way to prompt intergenerational conversations that lead to positive change, rather than antagonism.

Alt milk hasn’t quite converted older men, who may think of it as somehow less manly than dairy@oatly | Instagram (2020)

Ope Oduwole is a junior behavioral analyst at Canvas8. He has a BA from the University of Nottingham and leans on the inquisitive nature of his studies. With an avid interest in all things creative, if he’s not at a concert or poetry reading, he’s buried inside a book with a cup of green tea.