Last time you checked out the beer aisle, you may have
noticed something new. Miller Lite has recently introduced a new label and
design for its bottle. Actually, it isn’t new at all; the label is the same
design from 1975.
Packaging is a very important role in the marketing of a
product. Primarily, It helps differentiate the product. For Miller, the white
vintage can now stands out against the other brands on the shelf.
Miller has also succeeded in the power of attraction. The
younger generation thinks the beer looks iconic, and the older market enjoys
the reminiscence of when they were younger. Personally, I didn’t even realize
it was the same beer. The packaging changed so dramatically, that I treated the
beer as if it was a new brand on the market.
Whether or not you caught Miller’s ploy, it has caused sales
to increase by 18 percent. Part of this may be due to the product placement in “Anchorman 2”. The movie, which happened
to be set in 1979, was the perfect opportunity to introduce the old packaging.
It is unbelievable to think how changing the label on a
product can cause the success or failure of the product. The packaging greatly
influences our perception of the product quality and the brand. Who knew going
back to the past would look so good?
Meredith, I have seen the white Miller Lite cans, however, I did not know about the marketing strategy behind the new/old look. I think that the connection between what we buy and the way it is packaged is very interesting because so much of it is psychological. Last year, I read the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book Gladwell goes into great detail about how humans "think without thinking" in regards to marketing and public relations campaigns. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it as it talks about many similar marketing strategies regarding packaging like this one by Miller Lite.
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