Why is St. Patrick’s Day so widely celebrated? Perhaps, it’s because so many people admire the Irish spirit and their traditions of celebration.
“Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” has long been the outlook at MillerCoors. Miller Brewing Company, one of the predecessors to MillerCoors, has noted the day in a special way for many years.
“Fill’er with O’Miller,” “The Lite of the Irish,” and “Sham Rock ‘N Roll” were some of the St. Patrick’s Day slogans in the 1980s. You might guess which brands they came from; in order, they’re Miller High Life, Miller Lite and the last one by the Miller “Family of Brands”. It isn’t too hard to figure out which Miller brand “Tis the High Life for Me!” represented.
Miller Brewing Company has come a long way from 1950, when St. Patrick’s Day was observed by a Milwaukee Brewery worker singing Irish ballads to his co-workers during the lunch hour. St. Patrick’s Day has become a national celebration, one of the biggest single days for “on premise” beer drinking and festivities.
Miller Brewing Company has staged several St. Patrick’s Day-themed promotions in the past. A contest in Detroit asked customers to vote for their favorite bartender. Each customer paid to vote and the results were tallied with Miller Genuine Draft shamrocks pasted on the walls. The money was used to support a local St. Patrick’s Day parade. And, the winning bartender received a trip to Ireland.
In addition, making St. Patrick’s Day a “green letter day” was the theme of a clever promotion that featured customized, long-necked bottles of Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft, with special labels and green foil. Some of these bottles have been kept by collectors for 20 years.
Celebrating the patron saint of Ireland responsibly is important, and MillerCoors has led in this area. Besides promoting designated drivers, MillerCoors provides several free bus rides on St. Patrick’s Day, with programs in Milwaukee, the Twin Cities, Chicago, San Diego and Panama City Beach. Plus, it provides thousands of taxi-cab vouchers across the country to support St. Patrick’s Day promotions through our partnership with 1-800-TAXICAB.
Because enjoying St. Patrick’s Day safely is something we can all celebrate!