Molson Coors Marketing: it is very difficult to stand out in the highly competitive light beer category. Portada talked to Elizabeth Hitch, Senior Director of Marketing – Miller Lite North America and Global at Molson Coors Beverage Company to understand her marketing initiatives, including the recent collaboration with Colombian Singer J. Balvin.
Molson Coor’s Miller Lite is the third most sold beer brand in the U.S. The light and ultra-light beer categories are highly competitive with beer giants Anheuser-Busch, Heineken (Tecate) and Constellation Brands all betting on the heavily Hispanic GenZ market. Portada talked to Elizabeth Hitch, Senior Director of Marketing – Miller Lite North America and Global at Molson Coors Beverage Company on how Miller Lite tackles the Hispanic opportunity. Miller Lite recently launched an initiative to support Latino business owners in collaboration with Colombian singer J Balvin.
“Our media plan for Miller Lite’s partnership with J Balvin this year revolves around giving back to Latino business and communities,” says Hitch. “We’ve had the pleasure of working alongside J Balvin since 2021 and this year, we wanted to not only bring back the Balvin-inspired limited-edition pints as a continuation of our mission to support and empower the community, but also donate a portion of proceeds from the limited-edition pints purchased during the program, up to $150,000, to Accion Opportunity Fund. This donation can help provide funding for up to 50 Latino business owners across the country.”
An additional element of the campaign, according to Hitch is that J Balvin and Miller Lite want to give back, literally, by offering to pick up their tab by visiting www.millerlite.com/jbalvin. March 1st – April 30th, Miller Lite and J Balvin will be giving away up to 10,000 beers per week as well as the chance to win other prizes like signed merch. “We are supporting this initiative across paid social media,” Hitch notes. The senior Molson Coors marketing executive adds that “it’s always important to us to be meeting the consumer where they are with things they care about. For this particular campaign we have grounded ourselves in how can we best amplify the mission of this campaign, to give back to local communities and create more Miller Time.”
Measuring Brand Lift
How does Molson Coors marketing team measure brand lift and sales related to the J. Balvin – Miller Lite Latino Business Owners Initiative? “We know that awareness and sales go hand-in-hand. We look at total sales, retail execution and consideration with drinkers who interacted with the program for a wholistic look at program impact. At the end of the day, we are always striving for meaningful interactions with our drinkers that increase brand affinity.”
Molson Coors Marketing: How to Stand Out in the Highly Competitive Light Beer Category
The light beer category is extremely competitive how does Molson Coors marketing implement campaigns in order to stand out? Hitch answers that “whether it is partnering with global superstar and entrepreneur, J Balvin, or creating a OOH plan or store display, we want to capture the attention of our drinkers by doing something that resonates. Miller Lite has been giving people light beer with great taste for many years now. While we continue to serve up the same great quality, it’s important that the beer continues to fit into people’s lives and resonates with new drinkers. Miller Time is all about sharing real moments and the Miller Lite and J Balvin’s Tab program creates way to authentically give back to the Latino community as well as engage new beer drinkers.”
“It’s hard to say what the future holds as the landscape changes very quickly. But we will continue to show up where our consumers want to be and incorporate our brands into their lives in interesting and authentic ways,” Hitch concludes.
CHECK OUT: Deep Dive into Miller Lite’s Give Back 12 Pack Initiative
