MillerCoors boosts digital spending substantially for 2014

Personally, we here at CBB think that the future of information exchange might just be this big beautiful thing called the Internet. Finally, MillerCoors thinks so too, according to a recent article on Ad Age. The joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Co. has apparently secured an impressive string of digital content deals with AOL Advertising, Comedy Central, Spotify, the Weather Co. and others, showcasing that it’s ready to invest big in online and mobile marketing.

The deals — which include data-triggered ads and customized content — come as the maker of Miller Lite and Coors Light plans a 50 percent boost in digital video spending for 2014, Jackie Woodward, the brewer’s VP-marketing connections, told Ad Age. She declined to divulge the company’s overall digital spending increase or exact terms of each deal, but characterized the new spending as “significant.”

According to the article, it wasn’t long ago that MillerCoors didn’t even use Twitter, but finally the company is jumping online head first, trying to cross market Big Beer, big events and increasingly big craft-style brands.

The company is putting particular focus on pairing experiential marketing with digital programs, Ms. Woodward said, noting that the brewer wants paid, owned and earned media working together. For instance, in a new deal with Spotify, the brewer’s Blue Moon brand is creating a “Follow the Moon” music tour that will be timed with full moons in five cities. Content from the events will be shared on a co-branded microsite that will include interviews and custom playlists. “Our approach is that content is about being in the conversation. That is what beer is all about,” Ms. Woodward said.