We have to say, this ad is clever. It shows a man being chased through a city. Finally he notices all the men chasing him as wearing sneakers like is. At the conclusion, he tosses a sneaker into the mob, and wearing only socks walks into a bar. “A few friends are better than a few thousand followers,” the screen displays as the ad nears to an end. After showing three people drinking Miller Lite holding cans of product, the final scene concludes, with a Miller Lite can visible, “Here’s to the original social media,” followed by a “it’s Miller Time” neon sign.
The idea of the spot, which debuted during Game 1 of the World Series, is to imagine what the world would be like if social media followers actually followed us.
“With this new campaign, we’re championing in-person, genuine connections over social media followers,” says Anup Shah, VP, Miller Family of Brands. “We know that today’s generation of new drinkers will spend more than five years of their lifetime on social media, and yet are only meeting up with their close friends less than a few times a month*. By reintroducing Miller Time, we want to remind them that while social media is great, it’s no replacement for hanging out in-person over a Miller Lite.”
Clever. But will it sell beer? There’s no mention of the brand until the last six seconds. And the music is dramatic Hollywood chase music.
Not only that, but Miller Lite is bribing followers to unfollow Miller Lite on Facebook or Instagram. Unfollowers could win a free Miller Lite.
To top it all off, Miller Lite is “going dark” on its social media accounts, taking a break from posting on its Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram channels to further encourage fans to embrace an in-person Miller Time with friends. Social media influencers will also be deployed to amplify the new campaign to encourage and inspire Miller Time amongst friends.
So, to sum up, almost no brand identity during the TV spot, no social media postings. Yet we know that effective advertising requires repeated mentions. No even the “It’s Miller Time” jingle to subliminally link the video to the brand.
We will Shaw well. But we don’t think this campaign will drive additional sales of Miller Lite.