With Opening Day just around the corner, Miller Lite is rolling out a series of custom illustrations supporting its six Major League Baseball team alliances that embrace traditions of each franchise.
The illustrations, developed in partnership with creative agency DDB with input from each team, aim to capture the attention of and make connections with fans in much the same way Miller Lite’s NFL illustrations did last fall.
They’re already starting to appear in each of the six cities — Detroit, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Milwaukee and Cleveland — on billboards, posters and other out-of-home displays in and around stadiums. They’ll also be featured at bars, restaurants and stores where beer can be purchased, as well as on promotional hand-outs such as T-shirts.
Featuring images associated with teams or their cities, the illustrations have a goal of “getting consumers excited and proud to support their team in a new way, with the help of Miller Lite,” says Jonathan Gallagher, an associate marketing manager for Miller Lite. Examples include Milwaukee’s mustachioed Bernie Brewer pouring a glass of Miller Lite from a wooden keg perched on his shoulder and a pirate ship bedecked with Pittsburgh Pirates flags firing off ordnance in the form of baseballs and Miller Lite beer cans.
Miller Lite also developed a national illustration that will be used in other MLB markets.
“We’re excited to get them into market,” Gallagher says of the new illustrations. “We saw how well the football illustrations worked in evoking emotion with fans, and we’re hoping to mirror that success with baseball.”