Dec. 04--You may scoff at the idea of ads from the 1990s and early 2000s being considered vintage, but MillerCoors begs to differ.
Beginning Tuesday, Chicago-based MillerCoors will relaunch three Miller High Life TV commercials -- two from 1999 and one from 2003 -- in Chicago and other Midwest markets through the rest of December. Like many American mainstream beers, Miller High Life has seen sales decline as craft beer and Mexican imports have surged in recent years. Pulling the ads out of the vault may remind beer drinkers of simpler times with fewer options.
"In terms of why we're doing this, 2015 has been a year of celebrating our rich history, and as we close out the year, we're giving one last nod to High Life's heritage by relaunching three vintage ad spots," MillerCoors spokesman Marty Maloney said in an email.
The TV spots were part of a campaign called "High Life Man" and were meant to appeal to "consumers who abide by simple, no-nonsense manly values," Maloney said. All three feature the deep, rumbling voice of Doug Jeffers.
In one commercial, a man flips burgers and ponders the one-letter difference between "beer" and "beef." In another, a man waits for his wife to join him on New Year's Eve, decides it's midnight somewhere and cracks a High Life.
And in the third and most recent commercial, a schlubby yet determined-looking man rides a bicycle through a snowstorm with High Life beers rattling in his basket.
If MillerCoors is hoping to boost High Life sales by reminding consumers of the past, it has at least one example of success doing just that. Coors Banquet is en route to its ninth consecutive year of growth, MillerCoors executives announced last month when reporting third-quarter results, whereas Miller High Life saw mid-single-digit sales declines.
gtrotter@tribpub.com
