"Spelled different because it's made different."
That's the spoken tagline for a new batch of Miller Lite 15-second ads, ten of 'em so far by our count. Given our well-known yearning for beer ads based on the distinctiveness of a brand, you'd think we'd be giddy that after so many empty, entertainment-based efforts, Miller Lite has finally seen things our way and decided to focus on how its beer is "made (or brewed) different."
You'd think.
But then you watch the ads, and guess what? All that's shown is a procession of Lite beer cans in very ordinary situations--in icy water or on a bar--pretty much like we've seen in plenty of other ads for other beers in other cans. Worse, there's absolutely nothing shown or said about how the beer is "made different." Nothing at all. Instead, ahead of a neon sign, we get odd little lectures--some citing calories, some citing taste, some bragging about inventing light beer--with nary a spoken mention of the brand name.
You'd think.
But then you watch the ads, and guess what? All that's shown is a procession of Lite beer cans in very ordinary situations--in icy water or on a bar--pretty much like we've seen in plenty of other ads for other beers in other cans. Worse, there's absolutely nothing shown or said about how the beer is "made different." Nothing at all. Instead, ahead of a neon sign, we get odd little lectures--some citing calories, some citing taste, some bragging about inventing light beer--with nary a spoken mention of the brand name.
The final frame shows a neon can sign.
The ads differ mostly on what the mildly edgy (or mildly annoying, depending on your perspective) announcer says. For example...
"We didn't just break the mold, we made it. And we spelled it L-i-t-e. Because when you invent light beer, you get to spell it however you want. Spelled different because it's made different."
...and...
"You may wonder how we pack all that taste into just 96 calories. Well, that's a mystery you don't need to solve, you just get to enjoy. Spelled different because it's made different."
...and...
"Forty years ago, they thought it was impossible to brew a great-tasting light beer. So we got to brewing and told them to 'Sip on this.' The original light beer. Spelled different because it's brewed different."
In all the ads, the "spelled different" part is self-evident (if not particularly potent since, if that's what's remembered from the ads as we expect, it's pretty much going to prompt a "So what?" response.) Not so with the other half of the tagline. The audience never hears or sees how the beer is "made (or brewed) different?" That's "the mystery" these ads should've resolved.
And it gets still worse.
In the two most recent ads, the announcer focuses on advertising currently being run by... Bud Light! In one, the entire Bud Light tagline is quoted word for word. Yes, we have lambasted the idiotic Bud Light ad campaign ourselves, but here's the difference: We're not trying to sell you our brand of beer at the same time!
Why ask people to think about Bud Light when you're trying to sell them Miller Lite?
"We didn't just break the mold, we made it. And we spelled it L-i-t-e. Because when you invent light beer, you get to spell it however you want. Spelled different because it's made different."
...and...
"You may wonder how we pack all that taste into just 96 calories. Well, that's a mystery you don't need to solve, you just get to enjoy. Spelled different because it's made different."
...and...
"Forty years ago, they thought it was impossible to brew a great-tasting light beer. So we got to brewing and told them to 'Sip on this.' The original light beer. Spelled different because it's brewed different."
In all the ads, the "spelled different" part is self-evident (if not particularly potent since, if that's what's remembered from the ads as we expect, it's pretty much going to prompt a "So what?" response.) Not so with the other half of the tagline. The audience never hears or sees how the beer is "made (or brewed) different?" That's "the mystery" these ads should've resolved.
And it gets still worse.
In the two most recent ads, the announcer focuses on advertising currently being run by... Bud Light! In one, the entire Bud Light tagline is quoted word for word. Yes, we have lambasted the idiotic Bud Light ad campaign ourselves, but here's the difference: We're not trying to sell you our brand of beer at the same time!
Why ask people to think about Bud Light when you're trying to sell them Miller Lite?
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Corporate ego is the real force behind this "call out the other guys" tactic. It makes senior brewery leaders--none of whom probably ever saw a real bar fight close-up--feel like tough guys. But however bad the other guy's ads may be, tweaking a competitor in this fashion is, as an ad guy once told me, "...like peeing in your pants. It feels sorta good, but only for a moment." Here's a less salty piece of battlefield advice for Miller Lite's tough-guy-aspiring beer-warriors...
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon Bonaparte
And one final suggestion: A solid product-distinctiveness strategy is not about simply reciting miscellaneous facts about your brand; it's about an advertising idea that dramatizes how your brand is different, and supports that with product facts.
You know, like...
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon Bonaparte
And one final suggestion: A solid product-distinctiveness strategy is not about simply reciting miscellaneous facts about your brand; it's about an advertising idea that dramatizes how your brand is different, and supports that with product facts.
You know, like...
... to cite just one example.
Update:
Bud Light ended their ad campaign
two weeks after this article ran.
Bud Light ended their ad campaign
two weeks after this article ran.
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