For some reason, my initial reaction to the pictures of real cows on these Whole Foods 365 brand milk cartons was "WTF." I'm kinda freaked out. I've never seen real cows on a milk container before.
Now, pictures of real cows on a milk carton should not be freaking out worthy so I had to contemplate why I had the reaction I did. I mean it's just a cow face. It's not like a picture of cow udder being milked. And, the cows look cute in a petting zoo kind of way. The marketing guru in me is coming out.
While contemplating my real-cow-picture reaction, I took this picture of other milk cartons. See, this is how I'm used to seeing cows on milk cartons: cute cartoon cows. Awww, so cuddly!...and not real looking.
I eat vegan dishes and drink rice, coconut, and nut milks because of a dairy & milk allergy not because of values around animals. I still enjoy a good hamburger and beef spaghetti sauce. I also wear leather shoes and jackets. Suddenly though, with these real cow pictures, I'm feeling my animal values being challenged. Is there a part of me that does have issue with the concept of drinking milk from a living animal?
Then it hits me. Ignorance is bliss. I don't really want to know where the milk comes from. I just want to pour milk out of a container and eat my cereal. Part of me doesn't want to see the realness. As well, if you see the realness then you have to really think about whether it bothers you or not. Again, I'm happy to just think about milk in my cream of wheat.
I'm now hit with some realization that there's a part of me, albeit naive and ridiculous in a Tooth Fairy way, that prefers to believe that milk comes from cute cartoon cows instead of real ones because it's comforting somehow and less harsh reality.
Having worked in marketing in my previous life, I also understand that my cartoon cow view is also not un-ordinary. Product packaging can be very much a roll of the dice because so much of it is based on human reaction and perception which is not always driven by reality nor logic.
Honestly, and not saying it's right or wrong, in a market research panel, I would be the participant whose feedback is, "On milk carton, nix the real cows. Prefers cute cartoon cows."
