There’s no use crying over spilled milk, the saying goes. Now, milk brand a2 suggests its milk is worthy of shedding a few tears in a campaign emphasizing its taste rather than its formulation.

Previously, a2 differentiated itself through its focus on milk coming from cows that produce only the A2 beta-casein protein, which is reportedly easier for some people with stomach sensitivities to digest. Now, it is going broader with a message about the taste.

“When we first launched in the U.S. in 2015, we focused more on educating consumers on what A2 protein is and how a2 Milk may be easier on digestion,” Blake Waltrip, CEO of The a2 Milk Co., said in a statement. “We are now shifting to more lifestyle messaging as we have discovered that a significant portion of our consumers really love dairy milk and want a great tasting, high-quality milk.”

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The newest commercial doesn’t specifically call out competitors such as oat milk or almond milk but uses closeups of spilled milk and tearful faces to make the case that real milk is worth crying over.

“As an agency, The Escape Pod always tries to rebel against the conventions of category tropes,” said Norm Bilow, founder and managing director of the agency that created the campaign. “No picturesque dairy farms, no brimming glasses of milk with cookies and absolutely no smiling customers. Instead, the juxtaposition of someone upset and dramatically crying over spilling a delicious glass of a2 Milk conveys exactly how unmatched the taste experience of the product is.” 

Waltrip said that earlier this year, the brand "fielded research that confirmed that taste is one of the top drivers when it comes to consumers making a decision to purchase dairy milk," adding that "most a2 milk buyers say it ‘tastes great’ in our latest brand equity research.”

The brand is among the fastest-growing brands in the premium segment of the dairy category, said Waltrip, and is sold in more than 22,000 U.S. stores. A2 faces competition from dairy and non-dairy rivals. Earlier this year, Zeal, a much smaller high-end milk brand, released its first campaign, emphasizing the health of its cows. And while some brands have been gaining ground, sales of dairy milk have declined for 11 consecutive years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The “Taste Worth Crying Over” campaign will run on connected TV and other digital advertising. It was produced by Gravity Well Studio, Chicago-based The Escape Pod's in-house production team.

While the origins of the phrase “there’s no use crying over spilled milk” are hazy, the phrase dates back more than 130 years, according to a milk industry primer.

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