• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, October 4, 2017

This summer, Natural Light, Anheuser-Busch InBev's economy reduced-calorie brand, launched its first new TV ad since 2009, as well as a series of videos featuring supermodel Marisa Miller.

The creative, from the Zeno Group, takes a playful approach to mocking another beer brand. More notably, its messaging responds to a competitive campaign that targets A-B sister brand Bud Light rather than Natural Light itself. 

Since last September, MillerCoors has been going up against Bud Light — the country’s largest-selling beer brand by volume — by touting Miller Lite as having “more taste, less calories and half the carbs” of Bud Light. (Miller Lite is No. 3, after No. 2 Coors, followed by Budweiser, with Natural Light at No. 5, according to IRI data for the 52 weeks ending Sept. 24.) 

Rather than break with marketing wisdom by having ads for the category leader, Bud Light, acknowledge or respond to a competitor, A-B turned to Natural Light.

Natural Light — “Natty” to the college-age sports lovers who are its core customer base —  was already employing new partnerships with media, events and other brands as part of a push to make the brand “relevant” again, by conveying its “fun” personality with a “bold voice,” Chelsea Phillips, VP of value brands at A-B, tells Marketing Daily. 

In A-B's view, that made Natural Light “the perfect brand to leverage a campaign like this, which is basically a series of light-hearted responses to recent jabs from the competition,” Chelsea Phillips, vice president of value brands at A-B, tells Marketing Daily. 

“We believe that life is serious, but Natty isn’t,” Phillips adds. “That outlook inspired the idea to work with a ‘Miller’ — and of all the Millers out there, we could think of no one better than Marisa.”

Three 15-second videos starring Miller (clad in a relatively modest tank top, by traditional beer-category standards) were released over the summer.

In the first, released in mid-July, she says: “My name might be Miller, but I prefer to act natural … Natural Light, that is.” In the second, released in August, she tweaks Miller Lite by saying, “I may be a Miller, but I know how to spell light: L-I-G-H-T.” Her parting shot, “Spelled right because it’s brewed right,” parries Miller Lite’s “Spelled different because it’s brewed different” claim.

The latest video (below), out since mid-September, makes light (lite?) of the fewer-calories competition by having Miller declare that while Miller Lite “talks a huge game on calories,” Natural Light actually has “one whole fewer calorie … Consider the game changed.” Natural Light has 95 calories per 12-ounce serving, to Lite’s 96.

Using #Miller4Natty to drive sharing, the videos have collectively generated nearly 180,000 organic views and likes across Natural Light’s and Marisa Miller’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels, as well as a few thousand views on YouTube, reports the brand. The Twitter campaign was also one of the strongest to date across A-B’s entire portfolio, based on an exceptional cost per view and strong CPM.

Most important, Natural Light has seen “a strong year-over-year sales trend” since the campaign’s launch, according to Phillips.

More videos starring Miller are planned for release this fall. 

Natural Light’s summer campaign also employed two other pieces of creative focused on the tongue-in-cheek “one fewer calorie” message. A digital-only 15-second video featuring a poolside would-be naval commander debuted in late June, and a 15-second “Natty Time” TV ad (“Go ahead and treat yourself to that extra stick of gum… you’ve earned it”) launched in early August and ran for six weeks. 

“Natty Time,” which was supported by paid media on men’s lifestyle sites and YouTube, also has accumulated 456,000 views on the brand’s YouTube channel to date.

Natural Light’s partnership efforts over the past year have included sponsorship of pro golfer Smylie Kaufman; a pop-up “Natty Shack” outside the Augusta National golf tournament; a tailgate tour with Barstool sports; and a co-branded merchandise line with Rowdy Gentleman.