Miller Lite Unveils High-Impact Pro Football Partnerships

Miller Brewing
Company announced that it has signed national and local sponsorship deals that
will play key roles in Miller Lite’s 2007 football promotion. Nationally, the
brewer will team with ESPN for a powerful, season-long venture that will be
activated through an integrated marketing program. At a local level, alliances
with the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City
Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings provide Miller with the opportunity to connect
even more closely with football fans in these markets.

Miller
Lite, the

Milwaukee
brewer’s best-selling brand and the only light beer to win four gold medals in
the bi-annual World Beer Cup’s American-style Light Lager category, will be the
primary brand featured in each of these alliances. Miller Lite’s 2007 football
program, “Beer That’s Made to Be Great Makes Gameday Better,” kicked
off earlier this month.

The
national deal with ESPN encompasses all of the various ESPN assets, including
presenting sponsorship of the 6 p.m. (Eastern) SportsCenter Monday Kickoff; a
Tuesday “Good Call, Bad Call” feature on SportsCenter; features
during ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning”; the presenting
sponsorship of Pigskin Pick ’em on ESPN.com; sponsorship of the 2 Minute Drill
in the Friday 1 a.m. (Eastern) SportsCenter; and presence throughout
NFL-related programming on the ESPN television networks, including ESPN
Deportes.

ESPN logos
will be featured on Miller Lite’s fall point-of-sale and merchandising
materials, as well as special promotional packaging. Twelve-pack Fridge Packs
and special 24-ounce cans will call out the ESPN association.

“Fall
is one of the most competitive times of the year in our business,” said
Jackie Woodward, Miller’s vice president of media and marketing services,
“and this fully integrated alliance with ESPN gives us all the tools we
need to ensure that Miller Lite stands apart from the competition, from the
first pre-season game until the final whistle of the big game in February.
Miller Lite will be prominent across the ESPN properties when football fans are
most focused on the games, from Friday morning until Monday night.”

Ed
Erhardt, president of ESPN customer marketing and sales, added: “We value
our relationship with leading brands like Miller Lite. Teaming up to create
such a fully integrated marketing program exemplifies how to best utilize the
ESPN portfolio as a marketing vehicle to boost brand affinity with sports
fans.”

Miller
will build on its ESPN football foundation with team alliances in several key
markets. The company recently inked local sponsorships with five teams. Each of
these deals is a renewal for Miller; details on each sponsorship include:

Atlanta
Falcons: Through a five-year deal,
Miller will have rights to
use the
team’s marks in promotional programs, including retail point of sale
materials.
Miller has been an official
sponsor of the Falcons since 2002.

Additionally, through a deal with the Georgia Dome, Miller will be the
exclusive domestic malt beverage sponsor in the stadium, where the company will
create a new Miller Lite ATL Lounge.

Able to accommodate up to 80 people, the Miller Lite ATL Lounge will be
used for local radio and retail promotions.

Baltimore
Ravens: The highlight of Miller’s
new five-year partnership with the Ravens will be the creation of two Miller
Lite Flight Decks at M&T Bank Stadium.

The two 50-person capacity Miller Lite Flight Decks will be the
centerpiece of Miller’s local promotional efforts.
Miller Lite also will continue as sponsor of
the popular Countdown to Kickoff Party, which culminates in a season kick-off
celebration at the stadium.
Miller has
been an official sponsor of the Ravens since 2002.

Cincinnati
Bengals: A four-year alliance provides Miller with the ability to use
the team’s name and logo in promotional activities throughout southwestern

Ohio.
Miller has been an official sponsor of the
Bengals since 2002.
The deal includes a
new 115-person-capacity Miller Lite Party Deck designed to give winning fans a
chance to see the game and socialize with their friends from this special
vantage point in the stadium.
The deal
also includes an expanded presence on the Bengals web site, sponsorship of the
Miller Lite Fantasy Draft and sponsorship of the Miller Lite/Bengals Caravan.

Kansas City
Chiefs: This two-year deal gives
Miller full promotional rights in the local market, as well as a number of
assets that will allow Miller Lite to connect with the fiercely loyal Kansas
City Chiefs fans.
These assets include
season tickets, flyaway trips to Chiefs’ road games and custom digital and
radio-driven promotions.
Miller has been
an official sponsor of the Chiefs since 1993.

Minnesota
Vikings: A new five-year agreement
keeps Miller Lite as the exclusive beer sponsor of the Vikings, a status it has
enjoyed since 2002.
Through its
prominent presence across all Vikings events and extensive local promotional
activities during the season, Miller Lite is established as one of the
franchise’s most valued corporate partners.

The deal includes sponsorship of the Miller Lite Party on the Plaza and
the Miller Lite Draft Day Party, as well as the creation of a new Miller Lite
End Zone Party Deck in the stadium.

“Developing
strong partnerships with teams in key Miller Lite markets is an important
aspect of our strategy for building a fall marketing program that is especially
compelling to football fans around the country,” said Woodward.
“Whether it’s in the stadium on game day or at the bar during the week
leading up to the game, we’ll activate these alliances in ways that make the
football experience even better for legal-drinking-age football fans.”

Other
teams that Miller partners with are the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears,
Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay
Buccaneers.

Miller,
one of the largest corporate sports sponsors in the country, focuses on
building alliances that enable the brewer to assert a leadership role with the
property while connecting to a specific brand’s marketing objectives. Woodward
said deals such as these give Miller the chance to provide memorable and
valuable experiences that positively impact the way fans view Miller brands.