With temperatures rising and the longer hours of daylight, those walking around the streets of Toronto might be forgiven if they suddenly get a craving for a cold one — and the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) are using the opportunity to call attention to a different drink than people might be used to sipping in the summer months.

DFC recently launched its “Pour a Tall Cold One” campaign embracing the common clichés found in classic beer ads (from the dramatic “slow poor” to a 30-second television spot revolving around hockey) and applying them to milk. This week that campaign was expanded to include a bus shelter takeover in downtown Toronto, covering the roof of the shelter with a range of snow-covered mountains and a tall glass of milk.

The shelter takeover began last month and will last until late April.

The awareness campaign has been centered around bringing milk top of mind for Canadian consumers, particularly in the male 25 to 54 demographic, to reposition milk as a “manly” drink. “They know all there is to know about milk, they know the benefits, but we wanted a different, clever way to approach the demographic,” Sébastien Bergeron, assistant director of marketing at DFC, told MiC. The campaign comes at a time when milk consumption in the country is on the decline due to increased interest in various types of dairy-free diets.

The shelter ad, located just south of Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum on University Avenue, was strategically placed in order to attract a healthy combination of foot and car traffic, with the busy attractions of the ROM, U of T and Queen’s Park close by. It’s the only one of its kind for the campaign.

The media buy for the campaign was brokered through Initiative, with DDB on creative and public relations.

While “Pour a Tall Cold One” has largely consisted of digital shorts and TV spots to get the message across, Bergeron said out-of-home allows for more reach and allows the DFC to capture attention in a way that is fun and unique. He noted that the DFC executed a similar shelter takeover last year with cheese products around Canada Day, however he did not respond to requests on how much of the DFC’s media spend went to out-of-home.

DFC launched a separate campaign earlier this year that incorporated a “waterfall” of tears at a Union Station OOH ad in order to promote its new certification and marketing logo.