Go on, pour yourself a pixelated Pilsner.
As millions of football fans gather to watch this month’s pro football championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, Miller Lite is set to open the first-ever brand-hosted bar in the metaverse – the only place to see the premiere of Miller Lite’s ad for the big game.
“This time of year is all about connecting with your friends and enjoying the big game – it’s quintessential Miller Time,” says Alyssa Bush, associate marketing manager for Miller Lite. “We wanted to create an unexpected connection between the real world and the virtual world and saw an opportunity to be a pioneer in this space.”
The result? The Meta Lite Bar, the first-of-its-kind tavern, located in Decentraland, one of a crop of platforms that host the metaverse, the interactive digital reality platform that combines some of the buzziest tech themes of the day, including virtual reality, cryptocurrency and NFT.
As more brands have sought to establish virtual outposts in an effort to connect with consumers, the metaverse has become a new kind of marketplace. Brands, then, have had to determine how to translate their IRL personas into avatar form. Now Miller Lite is staking out a claim in the ascendant virtual world.
“Lots of brands are exploring the metaverse, but we wanted to find a way to show up that made sense for Miller Lite,” Bush says, noting the Meta Lite Bar will be promoted with a paid digital and PR campaign.
The immersive Meta Lite Bar opens for business on Feb. 7 and can be reached by visiting millerlite.com/metalitebar; the bar will also be located on the Decentraland map, and virtual residents are invited to stop by, Bush says.
Patrons can mingle, play games like darts or pool, find digital swag and enter for a chance to have Miller Lite foot the bill for their real-life game-day party by pouring a virtual beer from the tap behind the bar. Meta Lite Bar patrons can win $500 (real) cash to stock up for the big game. (A virtual bouncer will ensure only visitors age 21 and up can enter.)
Miller Lite’s ad – which Bush promises will have fun with the “vast possibilities” of the metaverse – will begin airing on Feb. 13 – the day of the championship game.
“The great thing about the metaverse is, once you leave it, you’re back with your friends,” Bush says. “Miller Time transcends reality, but nothing beats having an actual beer, which is why we’re giving our metaverse guests the chance to turn virtual cheers into real-life beers on us.”