Miller High Life kicks off new ‘Champagne’ campaign

From Miller & Alex Parker:

Champagne is often used to christen aircraft carriers, steamers, yachts and other grand vessels. The Champagne of Beers, on the other hand, is for celebrating everyday victories – like assembling a grill.

That’s the key message in Miller High Life’s new digital ad that launches today and is aimed at its core consumer audience of 35-55-year-olds.

“The campaign is inspired by a Champagne tradition, but we’re applying it to how consumers enjoy High Life and the role of High Life in their lives, celebrating those everyday achievements with The Champagne of Beers,” says Lucy Bloxam, marketing manager for Miller High Life.

The 15-second ad features a woman putting the finishing touches on a grill she’s assembled, then clinking bottles of High Life with her partner. “Every grill deserves a christening,” a voiceover states. “Do it right with The Champagne of Beers.”

The ad is inspired by the series of spots created by famed film director Errol Morris, who made dozens of spots for Miller High Life between 1998 and 2005 (and again in 2020) celebrating “The High Life Man.”

The new spot – “Grill Dedication” – tips its hat to Morris’ style, but with a twist, Bloxam says. Instead of an anonymous Miller High Life drinker, we see the main character’s face. And unlike the everyman favored in Morris’ work, the lead is a woman.

“It’s a little different, a little brighter, but it’s inspired by a piece of the brand’s history,” Bloxam says.

Miller High Life’s new campaign doesn’t stop there. It will have in-store components, out-of-home advertising and a summer brand activation, as well, Bloxam says. Each aspect of the campaign ties in with the theme of welcoming consumers to “live the High Life.”

“We’re harnessing that ‘Welcome to the High Life’ sentiment and carrying it through everything we do,” she says.

While the new campaign is aimed at the brand’s core audience, Miller High Life has been busy courting new drinkers with other outreach. Last year, it established The Champagne of Beers region at Molson Coors’ Milwaukee brewery, and it released a wildly popular gingerbread dive bar kit during the holidays.

This spring, it released a collection with Tie Bar just in time for wedding season, and this June it’s giving brides and grooms an opportunity to celebrate with The Champagne of Beers by helping legal-age drinkers become licensed “Officiants of High Life” to marry friends or family. It’s also a giving away a trip to Chicago for a custom suit fitting at Tie Bar. Details are available at HitchedByHighLife.com.

Miller High Life is a key pillar of Molson Coors Beverage Company’s economy beer strategy, where it’s carved out a leading role due to its popularity not just in the on-premise, but as an accessory to celebrating everyday achievements – a theme it will continue to embrace in 2022, says Katya Chen, director of Molson Coors’ economy brands.

“We’re really focused on celebrating what it means to live the high life,” Chen told Beer & Beyond. “You’ll see that come to life in a variety of ways that employ the attitude and ‘joie de vivre’ that High Life is known for.”