From Van Halen to Whoopi Goldberg to Dennis Rodman, ‘Milk Mustache’ Spills the Secrets Behind the Iconic Ad Campaign 31 Years After It Started

Growing up in Sayreville, NJ, Bernie Hogya dreamed of being a rock star. He even played in a KISS cover band. But when fellow Sayreville native Jon Bon Jovi beat him to his goal, Hogya channeled his creativity in a different direction…one that eventually led to big-time ad agency Bozell & Jacobs, where he was hired as an art director. It was at Bozell & Jacobs that Hogya and copywriter Jennifer Gold Mantz created the star-studded Milk Mustache campaign in 1995, which ran for nearly 20 years and featured an astoundingly diverse array of celebrities, from Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow to Taylor Swift to Martha Stewart to Dennis Rodman.

Now, Hogya is opening up about the experience in the book Milk Mustache: The stars. The stories. The staches., published by Schiffer on Sept. 28.

“I knew while we were doing it that the Milk Mustache campaign was special, but I don’t think I fully appreciated what a remarkable ride it was until I started putting this book together,” Hogya tells Parade. “For nearly 20 years, I got to walk onto sets with people I’d admired my entire life — and somehow it became my job to put milk mustaches on them. It changed my career, but it also gave me a lifetime of stories.”

The book features a foreword by Whoopi Goldberg (who participated in the campaign despite her lactose intolerance) in addition to 125 ads, shot by legendary photographers including Annie Leibovitz, and highly entertaining tales from behind the scenes. We asked Hogya to share some of his favorite memories with Parade, and he definitely didn’t disappoint.

Elton John

“For a while, we weren’t even sure Elton John was going to show up,” Hogya said. “When we finally got word that he was on his way to the studio, I said, ‘Let’s make this easy for him. Just get some shots of him. Don’t even worry about the milk mustache. We’ll add it in retouching later.’ But once we got going, Elton stopped and called out, ‘Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Where’s my milk mustache?’ He then had so much fun that he stayed for lunch. And like that, he went from not coming to not wanting to leave.”

KISS

“Gene Simmons arrived early and was asked to put on his makeup before the rest of the band showed up for some lighting tests,” Hogya recalled. “Gene looked around and said, ‘Let me put it on THIS guy,’ pointing at…me. I actually said no because I thought I needed to keep an eye on the photography. Looking back, it may have been the single dumbest professional decision I ever made. And I’ve never stopped wondering what it would’ve been like to rock and roll all night…and party every day.”

Alex & Eddie Van Halen

“At one point Eddie asked me if I played guitar. I said, ‘Not to you, I don’t,'” Hogya remembered. “A few minutes later, we were sitting knee-to-knee on folding chairs playing guitars together. I remember thinking, ‘How in the world did my job lead to this?’ Then, during the photo shoot, Eddie shouted, ‘What are we doing? This is rock and roll! We can do whatever we want!’ He stuck his chin into his glass of milk—giving himself a milk goatee—then poured the rest of it over his brother Alex’s head. Click. We had the shot.”

Steven Tyler

“Here’s the scene: I’m in line at my local convenience store, grabbing an iced tea, when my phone rings,” Hogya began. “I dig it out of my pocket, answer, and hear, ‘Hey Bernie! It’s Steven! Steven Tyler!’ Somewhere in the conversation he suddenly started singing ‘Walk This Way’ to me over the phone. There are moments in advertising you just don’t learn how to prepare for in art school.”

Milk Mustache: The stars. The stories. The staches. is available for purchase now.

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