• Business Journal via MSNBC.com, Wednesday, February 28, 2007 11:15 AM

Encouraged by data showing recent sales gains for Miller High Life beer, Miller Brewing Co. is rolling out a new round of ads that tout the long-moribund brand's blue-collar ties. Miller launched a "Take Back the High Life" campaign in November 2006 in core markets, including Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan. "We're continuing to evolve the campaign," says Pete Marino, spokesman for Milwaukee-based Miller.

The new ads, currently being shot, will launch in April and again be limited to the Midwest. There are no plans to take the campaign nationwide. A burly High Life delivery man will again feature in the spots along with the tagline, "a good honest beer at a tasty price." In the initial ads for the campaign, the delivery man forcibly removes High Life from a trendy bistro, a high-end grocery store and an upscale nightclub.

The spots, produced by Miami ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky, return the beer to places "where the high life still exists," such as corner pubs, says Marino. In the 13 weeks leading up to the launch, sales of High Life in the Midwest market declined 8%, but since mid-December, they have risen about 0.5%.

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