Multi-tiered Marketing Effort Highlights Miller's Ongoing Commitment to Hispanic Soccer Platform, Features Stars Omar Bravo and Cuauhtemoc Blanco MILWAUKEE, May 22
MILWAUKEE, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Miller Lite today announced the launch
of a summer-long marketing effort focused on the sport Hispanic consumers love
most: soccer.
Miller Lite's 2008 soccer program is designed to build excitement around
soccer and the brand's status as the official beer sponsor of the CONCACAF's
Champions League(TM) completely new tournament. Miller Lite also will launch
advertising featuring current Mexican soccer champions Omar Bravo and
Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Anchored by a significant, integrated partnership with
Univision, "A Champion Combination" is part of Miller Lite's commitment to the
fast-growing Hispanic market and is a continuation of the equity in CONCACAF
soccer that the brand began building with the 2005 and 2007 CONCACAF Gold
Cup(TM) tournaments.
The partnership with CONCACAF enables Miller Lite to connect with
legal-drinking-age Hispanics within the world of soccer in the United States,
as well as Latin America, since CONCACAF's 40-member nations include the
United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
"Our goal is to make Miller Lite synonymous with soccer for our Hispanic
consumers, and the scale of this program will help do that," said Jesica
Duarte, senior manager of Hispanic marketing at Miller. "We're looking
forward to a summer full of activities that will help us connect with
Hispanics in a way that is fun and relevant to their interests."
Television, radio and out-of-home advertising, set to launch June 1, will
be centered on two of the sport's most recognizable players, Blanco and Bravo.
In addition, Miller Lite will offer special collectable single-serve cans
featuring the two players. A national consumer promotion will give soccer
fans a chance to win a soccer viewing party where Miller Lite will provide the
television, food and refreshments to share with a champion soccer player and
20 of the winner's friends.
"A Champion Combination" builds upon Miller Lite's previous soccer
programs, reaching an unprecedented number of fans thanks to a large-scale
media partnership with Univision. As a national broadcast sponsor for
CONCACAF Champions League games, Miller Lite will be a part of the live game
broadcasts with features such as game clock and half-time show sponsorship
during primetime matches on TeleFutura and Galavision. Miller Lite also will
have branded content during the summer on TeleFutura's "Contacto Deportivo"
and digital elements such as branded sponsorship of exclusive online content.
Another digital element will be the update of MillerLiteLatino.com, a site
created last year to support the 2007 Gold Cup tournament sponsorship. The
site will feature interactive games, tournament information and CONCACAF game
footage, as well as sweepstakes where visitors can register to win prizes such
as flat screen TVs, keg-erators and mini-fridges.
Grassroots marketing will be headlined by the Campeones Miller Lite, a
team made up of some of the best Latino freestyle soccer players who combine
the sport with tricks and moves that rival those of the best pro players. The
Campeones Miller Lite team will tour major Hispanic markets such as Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles and Miami to show off their unique skills and draw
attention to the brand and its sponsorship of the new league. Celebrity
player appearances at in-market events will engage fans and further create
excitement around CONCACAF Champions League.
CONCACAF's Champions League replaces the former CONCACAF Champions'
Cup(TM) and the new format will feature 24 teams in total: four clubs each
from the United States and Mexico, three Caribbean sides, two clubs each from
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama and one
representative each from Canada, Belize, and Nicaragua. The tournament is
scheduled to kick-off in August 2008; the U.S. teams that have qualified to
compete are the Houston Dynamo, D.C. United, the New England Revolution and
Chivas USA.
About Miller
As one of America's oldest brewers, Miller Brewing Company continues the
commitment of founder Frederick J. Miller to brew "confoundedly good beers"
with "uncompromising quality." Through more than 150 years of innovation and
brewing excellence, Miller has built a broad portfolio of award-winning beers
that capture approximately 18 percent of U.S. beer sales. An unprecedented
four-time gold award winner at the World Beer Cup, Miller Lite is the great
tasting, less filling beer that established the American light beer category
in 1975. Miller's latest innovation is Miller Chill, a chelada-style beer
brewed with lime and salt to provide a unique twist on refreshment. The
company also brews Miller Genuine Draft, Miller High Life, Foster's,
Milwaukee's Best Light, Olde English 800, Mickey's Malt Liquor, Icehouse and
Sharp's, a non-alcohol brew. Miller imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner
Urquell and Tyskie and offers the Sparks line of caffeinated alcohol
beverages, as well as regional craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing
Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. Miller is a wholly owned
subsidiary of SABMiller plc, one of the world's leading brewers with a global
footprint spread across six continents. For more information, visit
http://www.MillerBrewing.com.
About CONCACAF
CONCACAF "The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean
Association Football" is one of six continental confederations of FIFA
(Federation Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the
governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40
national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Surinam and French
Guyana in the south.
SOURCE Miller Brewing Company
