Here’s some free marketing advice from the man responsible for Miller Lite making Nielsen‘s Top 10 Growth Brands Index: “Competitive message works.”
The original light beer posted a 4.1% gain in sales volume over the four weeks ended April 27 picking up 0.1 points of share in the beer industry and 1.3 points among American light lagers, according to Nielsen, putting Miller Lite into No. 9 on the list, which tracks the biggest share-gainers among all beer brands.
Miller Lite is now up 0.4% in volume year-to-date, outpacing its segment and the industry as a whole, which has eked out a 0.1% gain, per Nielsen. The brand closed out March by booking its 17th consecutive quarter of segment share growth.
“We’ve been highly consistent and disciplined with Miller Lite,” says Anup Shah, vp-Miller family of brands. “We’re on the right track, establishing a solid foundation we will continue to build on. And we’re not stopping here.”
Shah this spring shifted more of Miller Lite’s advertising spending into digital media, where more of its target drinkers spend their time. The spots take Miller Lite out of the bar, the traditional home of its creative campaign, and into more social scenes and new drinking occasions.
It has continued with its functional messaging highlighting calories, carbs and taste, as well as its competitive positioning against chief rival Bud Light, whose decline continues to accelerate. Bud Light sales are now down 6.2% year-to-date, and it has shed 1.1 points of share in total beer and 1 point of share among American light lagers, per Nielsen.
Shah also recently launched a new round of competitive ads that position Miller Lite against other rivals, including fast-growing Michelob Ultra and white wine.
By going against Ultra and white wine, the brand is seeking to tap into health and wellness trends, which it has long highlighted in its messaging. It also is going after another consumer hot-button issue — sugar — with a new ad spotlighting Miller Lite contains no sugar.
“The combination of our functional messaging, plus our more-social ads, is getting drinkers to reconsider Miller Lite like never before,” Shah says.