According to Ad Age, Miller Brewing Co. has named British-owned Bartle Bogle Hegarty agency of record for its flagship Miller Lite brand, following a competitive review.
“They are passionate about the beer business. And, with their previous experience working with the nuances of a three-tier system, we know that they will make great partners as we accelerate the momentum of our flagship brand,” said Randy Ransom, Miller’s chief marketing officer.
Miller’s distributor network is said to have loomed large during the review, as agencies were repeatedly grilled on how they’d sell ideas through to wholesalers. Some of those wholesalers were bitterly disenchanted with Lite’s previous agency, Crispin, Porter & Bogusky, Miami, and its failed “Man Laws” campaign, which stoked social currency but didn’t sell beer.
The affection of distributors is particularly important to Miller because, unlike Anheuser-Busch and its exclusive distributor network, it shares many of its key wholesalers with Coors Brewing Co. “In a lot of ways, the target for them isn’t the consumer, it’s the distributor,” said one review participant. “You need to motivate them to get the good displays and the best shelf space.”
