The milk speakeasy
Probably the first modern publicity campaign for milk was the drive for “milk bars” in the 1930s.
This photograph of Golden Star Milk Bar in Perth, Australia dates from the mid-30s. Historians disagree on where the milk bar originated, but they were soon found in cities in Australia, the US, and the UK.
Governments were keen to promote milk to the populace for public health reasons. Some things don’t change: as with modern campaigns, this one tried to convince adults milk was not just a drink for children.
The milk bars mimicked the look of real bars, but without serving alcohol, as a way to market dairy drinks to grown-up citizens.