Miller Lite Teams Up With Baseball Legends In New Summer Beer Campaign

David Ortiz and Jorge Posada are some of MLB’s biggest stars and they’ll be returning this summer to revive the classic “Tastes Great, Less Filling” debate.

Here’s the deal…

Back in the 70s, Miller Lite was looking for a way to connect with beer-lovers who’d never tasted a light beer before. That’s when it unveiled one of the most famous beer campaigns of all time, featuring a collection of iconic retired athletes, who debated which of Miller Lite’s attributes were more important: “great taste” or “less filling.”

And in 2024 Miller Lite updated that legendary campaign, with a whole new roster of all-stars, tapping into nostalgia in a totally contemporary way.

“The classic campaign, which ran from the ‘70s until the early ‘90s and featured former stars John Madden and Bob Uecker, was ranked as one of the “Top 100 Campaigns of the 20th Century,” Ann Legan, vice president of marketing for Miller Lite told Beer & Beyond. “And just like the original, the new All Stars campaign will feature some of the top retired athletes in their sports.”

And this summer Miller Lite is again returning to the classic “Tastes Great, Less Filling” debate with two baseball legends, David Ortiz and Jorge Posada.

The two rivals already appeared together in an ad with the launch of the Miller Lite All Stars in March. The new Spanish-language ad, which is obviously targeting Latino beer fans, will air digitally and on television this summer when the MLB is in full swing.

“Both Posada and Ortiz had a real rivalry since they played for teams in New York and Boston,” added Legan. “Now they’ll continue it as they debate whether ‘great taste’ or ‘less filling’ describes Miller Lite better.”

The new video campaign hopes to build upon what has already been remarkable period of growth for Miller Lite. In the off-premise sales (think grocery store purchases), the brand has picked up 9.9%  according to Circana, a data firm that monitors these kinds of things.

In the on-premise segment (think bar and restaurant beer sales), Miller Lite was up 11% in 2023, according to Nielsen, and Molson Coors wants to keep that momentum going with the updated “More Taste Less Filling” campaign

“Miller Lite has always been big in baseball, and that will definitely continue this summer,”  Legan, told Beer & Beyond. “We know Miller Lite is the beer that people reach for during a game.”

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