✓ Miller Lite has three campaigns planned for the summer, including new creative starring its baseball All Stars
✓ The brand is launching its largest grilling program to date
✓ The summer push comes as Miller Lite is growing industry volume and dollar share
Get ready for Miller Time all summer long.
Miller Lite is kicking off the season with three campaigns – new ads starring the Miller Lite All Stars, a big program around grilling and its partnership with one of country music's top stars.
“We have so many tools ready for Miller Lite to have a big summer,” says Ann Legan, vice president of marketing for Miller Lite. “We are going to surround the season with three great programs.”
The packed summer comes as the brand had a strong start to 2024. According to Circana, Miller Lite grew dollar share and volume share of total industry by .32 and .43, respectively, for the year to date ending May 5 versus the previous year. The brand is also picking up crucial shelf space in spring resets.
An ‘All Star’ baseball lineup
Miller Lite launched a new version of its classic All Stars campaign in March, reviving the classic “Tastes Great, Less Filling” debate. Now that the weather is warming, it’s tapping into baseball.
“Miller Lite has always been big in baseball, and that will definitely continue this summer,” says Legan. “We know Miller Lite is the beer that people reach for during a game.”
The brand will feature its two baseball All Stars in some friendly competition in new creative that launches later this month. The two already appeared together in an ad with the launch of the Miller Lite All Stars in March. The new Spanish-language ad will air digitally and on television and will be paired with baseball-themed tools for both on- and off-premise. That includes localized packaging in alliance markets.
“Both All Stars had a real rivalry since they played for teams in New York and Boston,” says Legan. “Now they’ll continue it as they debate whether ‘great taste’ or ‘less filling’ describes Miller Lite better.”
Legal drinking-age consumers can also enter for a chance to win prizes, including signed Miller Lite All-Stars merchandise and a trip to baseball’s all-star weekend in Arlington, Texas.
Griller Time tastes like Miller Time
This summer, wherever there’s a grill fired up in America, Miller Lite wants to be there.
“Grilling is the anchor of our summer program,” says Eric Wolfe, marketing manager for Miller Lite. “Beer and grilling go hand-in-hand during the summer, and we are staking our claim to own that connection.”
Wolfe says that Miller Lite has been active in the grilling space for years, but this year will be its biggest yet, with partnerships with grillmasters, retail and national programs all summer and a rebate program with Kingsford.
To capture the link between its beer and grilling, Miller Lite is embracing the phrase, “Your Griller Time tastes like Miller Time.”
“You're going to see that phrase at multiple touchpoints,” says Wolfe. “We want to capture the grilling occasion and emphasize picking up Miller Lite.”
According to Wolfe, the brand has numerous off-premise tools to help with the grilling theme, including life-sized display tools, localized point-of-sale options and Americana packaging. Not only will the packaging sport a patriotic red, white and blue design, but each one will have a prominently positioned QR code, allowing legal drinking-age adults to quickly enter to win prizes all summer, including the chance to win $20 in Venmo to purchase Miller Lite or grilling necessities.
The prizes get even bigger around summer holidays like Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. That’s when consumers could win $150 to $300 in Venmo to host their own cookouts. Miller Lite is also giving away Char-broil grills. The four-burner gas grills come with covers and grill accessories, plus handy cup holders, ideally sized for a Miller Lite.
Grill like the masters
Need some help with your grilling skills? Miller Lite has lined up six grillmasters from different parts of the country, including Tony Ramirez, Arnie Tex, Matt Pittman, Maciek Zurawski, Myron Mixon and Jack Mancuso.
“Each one is creating grilling recipes that’ll either pair with Miller Lite or will use the beer as an ingredient,” says Wolfe. The recipes will eventually end up on Miller Lite’s grilling page, providing a resource of top-quality original recipes.
Miller Lite will also show up in three grilling-themed cooking shows during the summer – “BBQ Brawl” on the Food Network, “The American Barbecue Showdown” on Netflix and “Top Chef VIP” on Telemundo.
Wolfe says Miller Lite wants to be ubiquitous as the busy summer selling season approaches.
“Every time there’s a summer occasion, Miller Lite’s going to be there,” Wolfe says. “These are some of the best plans we’ve had in years.”