A CAMPAIGN THAT GIVES BACK TO VETERANS

Miller High Life

CAROLINE LAND ◊ KELSEY LEMIEUR ◊ ELENA SANCHEZ

• 300 years of brewing history

• 2nd largest beer company in the United States—captures 30% of market

• Portfolio that satisfies every major segment—premium light, premium beers, craft & import, and economy brands

MillerCoors: Living the High Life

“The Champagne of Beers”: A History of Class

• Founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller when he moved from Germany to Milwaukee, WI.

• Referred to as “champagne of beers” because of high carbonation

• Sold in miniature champagne bottles and quickly became one of nation’s top premium beers

• Miller’s oldest brand

“It’s Miller time!”

• 1971 advertisement campaign

• Told workers to call it a day and relax (and drink a few Millers, of course).

• Since “Miller Time”--Miller High Life has ranked among the top 10 beer brands in the United States.

• Miller High Life sank to low in 1993

• Lost out to Anheuser-Busch’s premium line, Budweiser in sales

• New rival brands were sub-premium lines

• Miller Brewing bought by SAB PLC (South African Breweries) in 2002 to form SAB Miller PLC

A Crumbling Image

• Unsuccessful attempts at brand revitalization (hyper-masculine, moon maiden, “the moments we savor”)

• 2007, partners with Saatchi & Saatchi & deploys “Take Back the High Life Campaign”

• Overhauls image with logo, icon, etc.

Brand Revitalization

• Campaign started in 2011• Miller High Life will donate 10¢

toward High Life Experiences for returning vets for every High Life cap or tab you drop off

• Bottle caps and beer can tabs were collected at participating retailers or customers could mail them in

• Money raised went toward paying soldiers’ way into sporting events, concerts, outdoor adventures and more

Giving Veterans a Piece of the High Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqKTdptr-c8

• To help ease veterans back into civilian life

• Helps support our troops while still promoting their product

• “Recognizing our troops is just common sense”

Reason for the Campaign

Miller Teams Up With IAVA

• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

• In order for the vets to be able to “win a chance at the High Life,” they first had to register with the IAVA

• IAVA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports vets of Iraq and Afghanistan– Benefits include: health,

employment, education and community resources

IAVA

• Founded in 2004 • Its mission is to improve the lives of Iraq

and Afghanistan veterans and their families

• Benefits of joining the IAVA:– Health, employment, education and

community resources• Over 200,000 member veterans and

supporters in US• Charity Navigator, America’s largest

independent charity evaluator, awarded IAVA 4 stars, its highest rating

• IAVA is also partners with TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Southwest Airlines, Citi

Advertising the Campaign

• Saatchi & Saatchi• Multiple television commercials

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqKTdptr-c8

• Linked commercials to Facebook

• Large icon on Miller High Life’s website

• Bottles had yellow ribbons on caps

• In-store displays• Miller Girls

Advertising the Campaign

A Bubbling Success: Awards

Effie Awards:• 2 Silvers in Goodworks –

Brands and Beverages, Alcohol for MillerCoors and IAVA

• 3 Golds for MillerCoors’ Miller High Life “1-Second Ad” in the Alcoholic Beverage, David vs. Goliath, and Media Idea categories.

A Bubbling Success: Quantitative Data

• Gave over 4,000 veterans the “high life” over the summer

• Over $2 million donated over the past 2 years

• $1 million raised in cash and experiences during 1st year

• Campaign will be repeated for 3rd year• 21.9% increase in net income from 2009 (for

MillerCoors; data not available or Miller High Life Specifically)

Improvements & Critiques

• Could have had a larger social media push

• Quantitative data regarding effect on sales?

• Discrepancy in numbers between the IAVA site and Miller High Life site ($1 miillion vs. $800,000)

• Terms and Conditions for 2012 campaign limit maximum amount to be donated

Conflicting Message? Alcoholism and the Military

• Preexisting stigma for military personnel and veterans

• Nearly 9,200 soldiers sought treatment for alcohol abuse in 2009, a 56 percent increase since the war in Iraq started.

• “"I always knew I drank too much. In retrospect, I was the poster boy.”- former General Stanley Cherrie

Is beer as american as apple pie?

• Industry dominated by foreign companies

• The largest American-owned company is North American Breweries, which controls 1.2% of the market share with Magic Hat and Genesee.

• Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors collectively controlled 78.4% of the U.S. market in 2011.

PATRIOTISM WITHIN THE INDUSTRY

• ANHEUSER-BUSH • MILLERCOORS• Partnered with MLB• Family centric• Anheuser-Busch

pledged to donate $100 to the Folds of Honor Foundation

• To provide scholarships for military families of deceased or disabled

members.

• Partnered with IAVA• Individual focused• Utilized traditional

“support our troops” rhetoric

• Disassociates and deflects civic dissent

• rhetoric to persuade consumers into buying patriotic beer

• redefine war as a means to fight and save our troops.

VS.

Conclusion/Overview

• Very positive to donate a portion of sales to a cause such as helping veterans– Historically proven

• Overall it was a successful campaign– Entering its 3rd year

• Area of improvement– Transparency