• Business Week, Thursday, March 5, 2009 10:45 AM

The key to MillerCoors long-term growth will be expanding its top-selling light brands like Coors Light and Miller Lite, according to CEO Leo Kiely. Speaking to a gathering of analysts by Webcast Wednesday, Kiely pinned Miller Lite's 7.5% drop in sales to retailers in the three-month period ending in December to its heavy reliance on sales in restaurants and bars where recession-weary consumers are cutting their spending. Coors Light sales, meanwhile, grew 1%.

The company also shed unprofitable business with Miller Lite and raised pricing, Emily Fredrix reports. The move will cut volume but will strengthen the business in the long-term, Kiely said.

A new Miller Lite ad campaign will woo new consumers by focusing on the brand's taste. One ad touts the fact that brewers add hops to Miller Lite three times while it is being made. It uses the familiar tagline, "Great taste, less filling." At a meeting later this month, the company plans to show distributors how the taste message will affect every aspect of Miller Lite's marketing, Kiely said.

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