Say “Bye” to a Decade of Bovine-Featuring Ads? Have a Cow-less 2010, Man.

When the Huffington Post revealed that new “Happy Cows come from California” ads will be filmed in New Zealand instead of our own West Coast, it became clear that 2009 really has been a year of change, change, change. Maybe it’s time we ad professionals put aside cows altogether – use some other of God’s creatures in the new decade ahead.

It’s going to be tough. One hardly expects Chick-Fil-A to get along without them. The now-iconic nature of this restaurant’s spokes-moos – and one of America’s most enjoyable websites, too – is hardly dented by the odd Chick-Fil-A® Bowl coming in January at the Georgia Bowl, whatever that is.

I’m not precisely guiltless in regards to using cows for advertising purposes, either. I created my first one (an ad with a cow that is) back in the early ‘70s, for Nutrena Feeds. My latest you know about, part of the print series for Lactrol® antimicrobials that I blogged about here.

I guess the Beginning of the Fall for bovines (or cow-tipping-point) began with the UK’s Cravendale Cows a couple of years back – a wonderful series of “TV Adverts for Cravendale Fresh Milk, which has a hint of something sooo good, the Strawberry Cows want it back.” It was a Sixth Sense concept that was suspended because the campaign supposedly frightened children. Wonderfully funny, though.

And finally, today, the real reason is revealed in the cartoon strip “Pearls Before Swine ” by Stephan Pastis. I did NOT expect this revelation at all.

So this affirms my resolution: No cows in ads this coming year! Or at least, not ‘til February. Happy New Year, everyone.

“Pearls Before Swine” © 2009, United Feature Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.