Since becoming CEO of Molson Coors last fall, I’ve thought a lot about the need to champion not just beer — a cultural staple of conviviality for thousands of years — but the occasions where beer has played a role in bringing people together.
And indeed, the beverage industry thinks in terms of “occasions,” but it’s obvious that we’re in the middle of something culturally and economically, broadly thought of as strain on Americans’ wallets mixed with what some have dubbed a “loneliness epidemic.”
Grabbing a drink with friends after work, that’s an occasion — a moment that’s different from whatever else someone might do during their day. Going out to dinner with your significant other, that’s a different sort of occasion. Cosmic bowling on a Friday night? A very fun occasion. The list of occasions can go on and on, ranging from universal (football and concerts) to local (ice fishing in northern Minnesota and crawfish boils in Baton Rouge).
Companies like ours think in terms of occasions because, simply, that’s when we do our business — when people come together, it’s often a moment for a tall, frosty beer, whether with or without alcohol.
But what if the occasions slow, or even stop? What if people choose not to grab that drink with friends after work, if date nights slow to a trickle, if the bowling balls stay on the racks on Friday nights?
It’s bad for business — and it’s bad for us all. It’s obvious that we’re in the middle of something difficult both culturally and economically, broadly thought of as strain on Americans’ wallets crossed with what some have dubbed a “loneliness epidemic.” As a result, our industry has been grappling with what it thinks of as “an occasion problem,” and the problem runs much deeper than the beverage industry.
That’s why we need just a little more socialization — and some more Christopher Walken — in our lives. In a new Miller Lite campaign launched last week starring Mr. Walken, we want to remind the world that any day can, and should, be an occasion.
Beer can be part of what brings people back together
The occasion problem is something that touches so many corners of modern life – the omnipresence of technology, cultural and ideological polarization, the massive cultural shifts that follow a global pandemic — and it’s enough to make many people opt out, to skip the social occasions and interactions we once craved. According to Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans feel lonely some or most of the time, and younger people are more likely to feel lonely than older people. That’s a problem.
For generations, beer has been a conduit for moments of social bonding, yet modern pressures have pulled us away from many of those moments. We need to embrace them once again, and as a beverage company that has brewed beer for hundreds of years, it’s our responsibility to help lead the charge.
We’re not alone in sounding this alarm. Our industry has increasingly come together to celebrate beer as both a beverage for moderation (most beer brands are at or below 5% alcohol) and social bonding.
That includes other brewers, independent distributors and advocacy organizations such as the Washington D.C.-based Beer Institute, which has launched “It’s Me, Beer,” a campaign reminding people of the many social moments — from golf to camping to the beach — where beer has shown up for years.
The message is also at the heart of our new creative campaign for Miller Lite, which has long staked its claim on the idea of “Miller Time.” It’s a legendary phrase that’s really code for an occasion — when you have a Lite in hand, it’s a moment to share with other people.
We brought in a heavy hitter to champion the next era of Miller Lite, a campaign that we call “Legendary Moments Start with a Lite” — the legendary Christopher Walken. The Academy Award winner uses his quiet magnetism and dry humor to remind us all to get back out there — to opt in.
In the first ad, which debuted in early January, a man notices a woman smiling at him from down the bar. The man hedges on approaching her when Mr. Walken suddenly emerges and encourages the man to act; rather than hunch over a phone, swiping one way or the other, why not go talk to her and say hello? The man does just that, and the viewer is left with the sense that a world of possibility lies ahead.
The ad starring Mr. Walken is the first of several in an ongoing campaign for Miller Lite to champion moments of social connection, whether with an old friend or a new one. The campaign is not only rooted in advertisements; in the months to come, “Legendary Moments Start with a Lite” will show up at local bars, sporting events and music festivals, all in service of encouraging people to get out there with the fervor they once did.
We live in an era where we are profoundly connected to the technology in our pockets. That’s not changing. But we also need to revisit what it means to connect with one another in person. While beer alone will not solve society’s occasion problem, our industry has long lived at the intersection of many of life’s most memorable social moments.
Once again, the beer industry must encourage people to put themselves out there, to connect with new friends and old, and to make memories. As always, we’ll be honored to be a part of that journey.
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