From Molson Coors & Nick Kindelsperger:
✓ Football season is big for Miller Lite and Coors Light – and they have plans to match
✓ This year, Miller Lite has 18 pro football alliances, an ESPN Fantasy Football partnership and a new All Star spot
✓ Coors Light returns with 40 college football alliances, a partnership with ESPN College GameDay and a new TV ad
With only weeks left until both professional and college football seasons kick off, Miller Lite and Coors Light are ready with some of their biggest plans yet. From media sponsorships and giveaways to themed packaging and fantasy football, the two brands are making sure they're around for every down.
According to Molly Long, associate marketing manager for Miller Lite, pro football has been crucial for the brand since the very beginning.
“Football is the biggest time of year for Miller Lite. It’s a huge part of Miller Lite’s DNA,” says Long. “When it launched in 1975, the original ‘Great Taste, Less Filling’ debate featured professional football players, so the sport has always been integral for us.”
Meanwhile, Coors Light is mostly focusing on college football, which is also big business.
“We have historically sold approximately a quarter of our volume during the peak football period,” says Lauren Flicher, marketing manager for Coors Light. “That’s just shy of what we typically sell in the summer, so it’s super important for us to continue the momentum.”
With just a few weeks until the first coin toss, here’s what the two brands have in store.
Fantasy football, All Stars and more for Miller Lite
With 18 NFL alliances, an ESPN Fantasy Football partnership, a national promotion and a new All Stars spot for its “Great Taste, Less Filling” campaign, Miller Lite is going all out this season.
With these 18 NFL alliances, Miller Lite now has official partnerships with more than half of the league’s teams.
“With those partnerships, we will have custom packaging that really works for us in each of our markets,” says Long. “We also have strong on- and off-premise tools to make sure the brand shows up wherever 21+ fans of its alliance teams are.”
Miller Lite is also continuing its partnership with ESPN Fantasy Football, the top-rated fantasy sports app. Throughout the season, the brand will appear online and in the app, so players think of Miller Lite with every fantasy football transaction and game.
“The partnership with ESPN Fantasy Football gives us a national reach, so people are interacting with Miller Lite even where we don’t have an alliance,” says Long. “And with fantasy football, it’s not just a once-a-week experience. Fantasy football is a week-long experience. You need to set your lineup, trade players and trash talk with your friends.”
In addition, Miller Lite is the official beer of ESPN’s fantasy draft experience. “Consumers will see Miller Lite from start to finish while drafting with ESPN Fantasy Football, and then all the way through the 18 weeks of football,” Long says.
Miller Lite may have launched its “Great Taste, Less Filling” campaign in March, but it’s gearing up for its largest program with its Miller Lite All Stars to date.
In September, Miller Lite launches a brand-new TV and digital spot, with limited-edition football-themed packaging for nine- and 15-pack aluminum pints. “Great Taste, Less Filling” football-focused retail tools will also be available.
Finally, The Miller Lite Football 2024 Sweepstakes has already started, where the brand hopes to appeal to the many kinds of 21+ football fans out there with prizes that include TVs, sound systems and branded grills.
Coors Light chills heated rivalries
With more than 40 college football team alliances, a partnership with ESPN College GameDay and a new TV ad, Coors Light plans to tap into long-standing rivalries that fuel college football.
“Rivalries are part of what makes college football so exciting,” says Flicher.
Coors Light will again partner with one of the largest media voices in the game, ESPN College GameDay.
“ESPN College GameDay is the No. 1 college game day pre-game show,” says Flicher. “Last year, it averaged 2 million viewers every week. Coors Light will be on every week of the season, so that’s a lot of visibility for the brand.”
It will also continue to sponsor the show’s popular “Saturday Selection” segment.
Legal drinking-age fans can look forward to ESPN College GameDay thematic packaging for 12-, 24- and 30-packs. The 12-packs, new this year, aim to drive sales in smaller format and convenience stores, Flicher says.
The packaging and retail tools also include a consumer promotion with prizes like branded gear, money for beer and a fan cave makeover. Legal drinking-age consumers can enter by scanning the QR code in retail or by clicking here.
And Coors Light is sponsoring the uber-popular “Pardon My Take” podcast, where it’s been regularly featured by the show's hosts.
In September, the brand will also release a new football-themed ad for television and social.
“Football season is incredibly important for Coors Light, so we’re excited to have big plans like these to connect with fans on a national and local level, no matter where or who they’re rooting for,” Flicher says.
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