Lite's mafia campaign sleeps with the fishes

Draftfcb's campaign for Miller Lite in which Sopranos star Frank Vincent offers "protection" to bartenders and convenience-store clerks has been yanked off the air because some Italian American groups claim it's offensive. And I suppose it is. I wouldn't want my people associated with Miller Lite. But comparing the ads to minstrel radio show Amos 'n' Andy is a little much. And really, where have these groups been for the past, oh, 20 years or so? Almost every portrayal of Italians I've ever seen casts them as loud, abrasive, ethnic sidekicks or violent mafioso. Not that there's no reason to be upset, but it's hard to see what made these particular ads so offensive. It's no worse than the Denny's ads with Paulie Walnuts, or the Goodfellas-esque Braun commercial, or the Godfather homage from Pepsi, or this Hardees ad for an "authentically Italian" chicken parm sandwich. The offended parties should go back and watch those, and Miller should go back to using hot girls and bad jokes. Deal?

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on June 4, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Alcohol, Controversy, Draftfcb, Kiefaber, Miller

High Life guy tries out one-second comedy

Even Windell Middlebrooks, the Miller High Life delivery guy, has trouble being funny in just one second. He's asked to do so in MillerCoors' new campaign from Saatchi & Saatchi. The idea is to poke fun at Anheuser-Busch for shelling out so much cash for its Super Bowl slots. In contrast to A-B's big outlay, Miller will run just a single one-second ad on game day—and a :30 all next week advertising the :01. There are also a slew of one-second spots with Middlebrooks on 1secondad.com. In this lousy economy, the idea isn't so bad. But of course, by focusing so much on A-B, Miller does run the risk of seeming a little jealous.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on January 21, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Alcohol, Miller, Nudd, Saatchi & Saatchi, Super Bowl

Miller Lite goes back to the well in new ads

MillerCoors goes back to the future, tweaking the current Miller Lite NFL campaign by adding the tagline, "Great taste, less filling." The slogan harkens back to the 1970s and '80s, when George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, Bob Uecker, Bubba Smith, Rodney Dangerfield and others starred in the classic "Tastes great! Less filling!" spots. Martin, the oft-fired Yankees manager, appears downright tipsy in the commercial above—and the way he and the Boss blow the take is so genuine, you can't help but laugh along with them. I've been screaming "Tastes great! Tastes great!" in my cube for the last 15 minutes. The reaction: angry calls to HR. Once the retro tag hits the airwaves, then they'll all understand and shout in unison: "Less filling!" Now, if you'll excuse me, some guys from security have shown up.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on August 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Alcohol, Gianatasio, Miller, TV