Carl’s a mess became a meme, a viral sensation and even a Loverboy merch collection after TV personality, Kyle Cooke, used it in a TikTok interview to describe the tension playing out on the reality show he and Carl Radke star in together.  

GALE and MilkPEP harnessed all that attention in a culture-first experiential and social campaign with Radke, that brought dairy milk to the centre of one of this year’s most talked-about reality moments. The activation was built around a simple, strategic reframe: Carl’s not a mess because dairy milk’s nutrients help support mental wellbeing.

“As we head into one of the most talked-about reunions in reality TV history, there’s been a lot of conversation around Carl being ‘a mess’. We saw an opportunity to flip that narrative. Carl isn’t a mess. He’s in good hands and is protecting his peace with dairy milk because its nutrients help support mental wellbeing,” stated Josh Braithwaite, managing director of creative at GALE. “It’s a playful response to the moment that brings milk to the centre of the cultural conversation alongside a real nutrition story.”

The campaign centred on an event in New York, bringing fans together to watch the highly-anticipated reunion with Carl and Kyle themselves, plus fellow reality stars Mia Calabrese, KJ Dillard, and Jesse Solomon. The venue was transformed into a milk-forward experience, featuring custom dairy milk-based mocktails, including the hero drink, Carl’s Not a Mess, as well as branded signage, swag for fans and social-ready moments throughout the space.

The full campaign spanned talent-led social content, paid media, earned media, influencer and event invites, and community management, built to extend the narrative well beyond a single evening.