MillerCoors Launching Smith & Forge Strong Hard Cider & Miller Fortune Beer (6.9% ABV)

From Adage:

MillerCoors is answering Bud Light Platinum with its own boozier line extension called Miller Fortune. And the brewer is kicking up the alcohol content a bit more than its competitor in a move to target millennial males and steal share from fast-growing liquor brands. Fortune will check in at 6.9% alcohol by volume, compared with 6% for Platinum, which launched in 2012.

MillerCoors confirmed the launch today in a memo to distributors that described Fortune as a beer "with edge, intrigue and charisma" that will come in an all-black bottle with an embossed design. The brew, which will debut early next year, is poised for a "big-time" marketing push, according to the memo. Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi, New York will handle advertising.

Ad Age first reported on Fortune’s possible introduction earlier this year after MillerCoors secured the brand name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

MillerCoors will also launch a new cider brand called Smith & Forge Hard Cider that will also be backed with significant marketing. The brand — which checks with 6% ABV, above the average cider alcohol content — seeks to capitalize on the growing cider trend, but exploit what the brewer described as a "massive unmet need" for ciders that target males. The agency is WPP‘s Cavalry.
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