The “Got Milk?” campaign has been brilliant since its launch in 1993; almost every industry group in the country wishes it could replicate the success of the California Milk Processor Board.

But the CMPB screwed up this time. From the AP:

The latest “Got Milk?” commercial hit a little too close to home for Major League Baseball. Poking fun at the league’s steroid scandal, the television ad for the California Milk Processor Board talks about a player getting pulled from a game “after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.”

In the next scene, a coach pulls a carton of milk from the slugger’s locker.

“There is nothing humorous about steroid abuse,” said Tim Brosnan, executive vice president for business for the league. “I would think that the California Milk Processor Board and their advertising agency would know better regarding an issue that threatens America’s youth.”

The 30-second spot is part of a new “Got Milk?” series that began airing during the baseball playoffs.

Considering baseball’s PR problem with steroids, the commercial shows an amazing lack of sensitivity by the CMPB’s advertising agency.

Funny joke, guys. Not funny ha-ha — funny strange.

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Milk, Steroids, Baseball