• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 25, 2007

This summer, Miller Brewing is going interactive.

The brewer is promoting Miller High Life, the "Champagne of Beers," via a variety of interactive content on digital jukeboxes located in Midwest bars. The jukeboxes, operated by Ecast, come equipped with interactive touch screens that allow users to participate in a Miller-branded trivia game and fill out consumer surveys. The jukeboxes will display full-screen ads between selections and banner ads for Miller when songs are playing.

The campaign, created by Starcom USA in partnership with Ecast, is geotargeted to 1,000 bars and nightclubs in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit and smaller cities throughout the region, which also includes Indiana and Wisconsin. The messages that appear on-screen are tailored to the geographic area.

Katie Ford, senior vice president and director of Starcom USA, says that "Ecast's unique touchscreen network helps us reach, entertain and connect with social influencers in places where they can directly purchase Miller High Life."

Recent studies have bolstered the appeal of bars and nightclubs as platforms for place-based marketing. In a study released this March, Arbitron found that 50% of American adults over the age of 21 had visited a bar within the last month--about 105 million people. Moreover, 31%--or 65 million people--had been to a bar in the last week.

According to Arbitron, they include a higher percentage of self-described "early adopters" versus the population at large: 27% of monthly bar-goers consider themselves "early adopters," versus 18% generally--and 26% say they frequently recommend new products to friends, compared to 19% overall.