• by Karl Greenberg , May 29, 2008

As the Dallas Cowboys prepare to open a massive new stadium next year, the team has also completed a deal with the only exclusive beer sponsor it has ever had: Miller Lite.

The team and Miller Brewing Company have extended for 12 more years--through 2020--a marketing relationship that began in 1990. The deal covers the state of Texas, minus Houston, and includes a raft of advertising and marketing opportunities at the stadium and regionally. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This fall, Miller will run a Texas promotional campaign with the Cowboys called "You Could Take Home History." The effort commemorates the team's exodus from Texas Stadium to the new digs. The program includes weekly giveaways of game tickets, team merchandise and stadium collectibles; commemorative packaging; point-of-sale highlighting great moments in Texas Stadium history; and TV, radio, print, out-of-home and digital advertising.

Miller Lite also will market to Hispanics this year, as the "Vive La Experiencia de Los Cowboys" program will give fans the chance to win game tickets and stadium merchandise.

With the extended deal, Miller gets TV, radio and print advertising via the Cowboys' media network in Texas, and can use the team logo on packaging and on POP material in Texas stores that sell Miller Lite. Once in the new stadium, Miller will have several branded venues: there will be a Miller Lite Champions Plaza at one of the stadium's entrances, where Miller Lite branding will be ubiquitous, and the company will sponsor pre-game events. There will also be a Miller Lite club that the team passes through on the way to the field; two beer gardens; a Miller Lite entertainment area at one end-zone platform; and VIP seating.

A company spokesperson says Miller has sponsorship deals with 12 NFL teams and deals similar in scope to the Cowboys arrangement with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. "And there are other teams where we have either exclusive or shared sponsors," he says, adding that Miller does similar deals with NBA, Nascar and professional baseball.

"We put a lot of energy and resources behind football," he says. "We will always have Miller Lite football-themed promotions from August through January."

"Retailers are looking for ways to sell more product. If we can come to them with Cowboys packaging which they can see their consumer base will like, they will be more likely to carry our brand."