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WPP Lose Miller Lite Ad Account

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TBWA beat out Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett and WPP's Royal Order in the pitch for becomming Miller Lite's agency. Miller Lite is the fourth-largest beer brand in America and TBWA are taking over the control of the major creative accounts. WPP had been working on the account on a project basis since April, after the brand cut ties with Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, which had split the account with WPP beginning in February. WPP had been using talent from Ogilvy and Johannes Leonardo. Royal Order was formed specifically for the MillerCoors business and was led by Ogilvy, Chicago.

WPP had been working on the account on a project basis since April

All of the agencies invited to pitch Lite had existing links to MillerCoors. TBWA Worldwide's Integer Group works on Blue Moon, while Leo Burnett has creative for Miller High Life. WPP's Cavalry has Coors brands.

MillerCoors spent $160 million on measured media on Lite in 2013, according to Kantar Media. This year, the brewer continues to pour more marketing behind its retro packaging that first started rolling out late last year and harkens back to Lite's creation in the 1970s as the nation's first mainstream light beer. In August, MillerCoors told distributors in a memo that it was doubling its originally planned media buy for September, and plans to "make an even bigger splash with the new visual identity in October." Cans have been sold with the retro look all year and now the brand is converting bottles to the white packaging. The vintage look has given the long-struggling brand a boost. 

 

Miller Lite Original Lite Can

Andy England, Chief Marketing Officer at MillerCoors, said Miller Lite's heritage play is a "wonderful example" of "millennials caring about authenticity." The brand, he said, "has spent a very long time, including on my watch, trying to be more interesting and trying to be more sexy." But "what we discovered is that when we went back to our roots ... it was embraced by young and old."

The resulting strategy, which will be undertaken by TBWA, is "coming back to the fact that Miller Lite is a great-tasting beer," Mr. England said. "I think light beer has wandered" as a category, and Miller Lite "has come back to really talking about beer."

TBWA's debut campaign is expected by early next year.

Miller Lite Website 

TBWA Website 

Leo Burnett Website 

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