- Miller Lite celebrates 50 years of being a brand – and being a part of the culture – with a new advertising campaign that debuted during the first full day of March Madness competition on Thursday.
- The campaign, featuring a soundtrack of David Bowie’s “Rebel, Rebel” and a voiceover from actor Christopher Walken, carries the theme, “Legendary stories start with a Lite.” The effort celebrates the big celebrations and everyday moments that Miller Lite has been a part of through archival vintage photographs.
- The photographs feature members of the brewery team that created the category-defining low-calorie beer, as well as some of the celebrities who have appeared in the brand’s campaigns over the years.
It’s one thing to invent a product. It’s another to have that product and its marketing become a part of the culture. It’s yet another to be relevant in the culture 50 years later.
So, clearly, Miller Lite has reason to celebrate the introduction of its product and brand half a century after its introduction in 1975. The way it is choosing to do that is to showcase how the brand has been part of the culture since its birth.
“People are still wanting, ‘Tastes Great and Less Filling,’” said Ann Legan, global vice president for the Miller Family of Brands for the Molson Coors Beverage Company. “It’s a timeless classic, and people are gravitating to that…This campaign is about the legendary stories brought to life through our brand.”
In a spot that debuted during the first night of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the brand showcases its history through a series of vintage photographs lifted from the brewery’s archives. Set to David Bowie’s “Rebel, Rebel,” the photos depict the team that created the beer, the first trucks to carry it, and the people who drank it at their parties, backyard barbecues and weddings. Interspersed among those photos are some of the celebrities who helped build the brand’s reputation, including football legends John Madden and Dick Butkiss, baseball broadcaster Bob Uecker, and MUSICIAN.
“A picture tells a thousand words. We thought it would be cool to show the people and celebrities who made the brand possible,” Legan said. “I was so proud looking back at the pictures, especially the brewery team that made the beer.”
Throughout the spot, actor Christopher Walken narrates a tale of the beer. In his oft-imitated style, Walken calls Miller Lite “the originator, the inventor” of the category. “If this can could talk, it would tell stories,” he continues. “About that one time, that night, that one guy, that one gal.” He says the brand has been “writing a story 50 years long and 50 million friends wide.” The spot ends with the “Legendary stories” line and toasts, “Here’s to 50 years of Miller Time.”
“We wanted to find a legendary storyteller, and I don’t think there is anyone who is more known as a distinctive storyteller than Christopher Walken,” Legan said of the voiceover choice.
Debuting the campaign during the NCAA Tournament made sense as a high-profile cultural event, Legan said. She added that the brand will continue the storytelling and celebration throughout the year during other cultural touchstones.
“We want to make sure we’re celebrating 50 years of Miller Time,” she said. “We’re not only paying homage to the past, but we’re also acknowledging the current times.”
