Miller: NEW YEAR'S EVE PENNY RIDES

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: MILLERCOORS
Agency: JACOBSON ROST, KINETIC WORLDWIDE
Category: Best Use of Branded Content & Sponsorship
President/Us: David Krupp (Kinetic)
Media Director: Stevie Benjamin (MillerCoors)
Manager/External Communications: Karina Diehl (MillerCoors)
Group Director/Account Services: Maureen Mccloskey (Kinetic)
Account Manager: Tarrah Singh-Beyer (Jacobson Rost)
Responsibility Commerce Manager: Diane Wagner (MillerCoors)
Field Activation Marketing Manager: Kelly Mitchell (MillerCoors)
Account Executive: Ky Anderson (Jacobson Rost)
Director/Account Services: Leslie Dahlen (Kinetic)

Strategy
For four years, MillerCoors worked diligently with our vendor partners to overturn a 15-year ban on alcohol advertising on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trains. The ban was ultimately lifted in 2012, paving the way for beer, liquor, and wine advertising on CTA rail cars and at certain rail stations. We leveraged this opportunity to secure a sponsorship for MillerCoors and its roster of brands, recognizing that a new partnership between MillerCoors and the CTA was the perfect opportunity to marry the company’s strong responsibility commitment to the mass transit medium itself. MillerCoors has a long history of promoting responsible consumption and providing safe transportation alternatives on celebratory evenings. Chicago is the company’s hometown, so the partnership was a natural fit for MillerCoors to support its community’s New Year’s Eve safe transportation choices.

Effectiveness
Miller Lite is the first sponsor of the CTA Penny Rides program. The announcement of the sponsorship brought much local press coverage as well as a flurry of social media coverage. CTA ridership on New Year’s Eve was high, delivering 134,124 rides. This number contributes to MillerCoors’ ongoing mission to be 10 million strong against drunk driving. The Penny Rides sponsorship will run for three years, giving MillerCoors a continued outreach to keep their local Chicago community safe on New Year’s Eve.

Execution
The CTA Penny Rides program offers free service on New Year’s Eve as a safe transportation alternative, which is in direct alignment with the Miller Lite Free Rides program. This program was the perfect vehicle for MillerCoors to reach Chicagoans, and Miller Lite became the first sponsor of Penny Rides.Service for “CTA Penny Rides brought to you by Miller Lite” was provided on all CTA routes beginning at 10pm on December 31 until 4am the following morning. For the month of December, promotional materials ran on all CTA rail lines, including two-sheet posters, branded turnstile stickers and customer alert announcements, in addition to 150,000 Miller Lite branded fare cards sold to riders supporting the partnership and driving awareness of the program. Additionally, MillerCoors commissioned an artist to create a commemorative piece of art made of over 8,000 pennies. The artwork was on display at CTA’s Clark/Lake station during December.