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Borden’s Starlac advertisements from the 1950s and 1960s promoted nonfat dry milk solids as an economical, shelf-stable, and protein-rich alternative to fresh whole milk.
Overview of Starlac Campaigns
• The Product: Starlac was a powdered skim milk (nonfat dry milk solids) with water and butterfat removed, designed to mix easily with water for drinking, cooking, and baking.
• Key Messaging: Ads focused on economy, nutrition—often highlighting that it had "even more protein than most whole milk"—and versatility in recipes like breads, gravies, and desserts.
• Elsie the Cow: The iconic Borden mascot Elsie the Cow frequently anchored the packaging and print layouts to build consumer trust in processed dairy.
• Era: Major magazine print campaigns ran throughout the 1950s (such as 1951, 1954, and 1957) and into the 1960s, shifting labels over time from "nonfat dry milk solids" to "instant nonfat dry milk".
