MillerCoors has come up with a crafty way to get its brands on television — TIVO notwithstanding.
The beer giant is partnering with Turner Broadcasting for marketing spots across TBS, TNT, CNN, truTV, Funny Or Die, NBA on TNT, Bleacher Report, and NASCAR.com, among others. The partnership will include Coors Light, Miller Lite, Miller 64, Blue Moon and Leinenkugel’s, along with new brands such as Redd’s Apple Ale and Third Shift.
“This deal will change the way the industry approaches and collaborates on brand integration,” Donna Speciale, president of Turner Entertainment and young adults ad sales and marketing, said in a joint company press release.
With the partnership in place, writers for TBS and TNT programs can now incorporate MillerCoors products whenever appropriate — getting the product in front of consumers even without traditional advertising. According to the release, Blue Moon will be found in TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, which will begin its fourth season in June, Coors Light will be one of many brands featured in TBS’s Sullivan & Son, which will return for its second season in June, Miller Lite will be featured in the current season of TNT’s Dallas, Coors Light and Blue Moon will be found in TNT’s Franklin & Bash, which will return for its third season this summer, and Miller 64 and Miller Lite will be incorporated in TNT’s upcoming series The Hero, which will debut in June. The release added that MillerCoors products may also appear in TNT’s Perception, Major Crimes and King & Maxwell, and TBS’s Deon Cole’s Black Box.
Jackie Woodward, MillerCoors vice president of marketing connections, said that this partnership serves as an example of MillerCoors aiming to work with networks and programs that go past traditional advertising methods.
“We’re continuously looking for ways to engage legal-drinking-age consumers in ways that will break through and help our brands stand apart from the competition,” Woodward said.
Along with the integrated marketing partnership, MillerCoors will sponsor several Turner programs, such as a custom dare within truTV’s Impractical Jokers, a grassroots tour with Funny Or Die, Bleacher Report’s Team Stream app, Nascar’s latest mobile app, the 2013 NBA Playoffs on TNT, and Parts Unknown, an upcoming CNN series featuring Anthony Bourdain.
The partnership is announced shortly after the release of Third Shift, an amber lager that MillerCoors markets as a craft beer made by passionate brewers.