Dive Brief:

• Molson Coors-owned Miller High Life is giving away a branded patio set through an online sweepstakes, per an announcement emailed to Marketing Dive.
• The patio set is dive bar-inspired, valued at $15,000 and includes an engraved table with barstool seats, munchies machine and other themed decor. From Aug. 5 through Aug. 19, fans can enter the sweepstakes by visiting a microsite or by texting "PATIODIVE" to 90464 to receive a link. Individual pieces from the patio are also available for purchase through the brewer's online shop.
• Citing a shortage in the patio furniture industry, Miller High Life is tapping into excess demand for a category of products while also engaging with consumers through a seasonally relevant contest.

Dive Insight:

With its latest giveaway, Miller High Life is leveraging high demand for patio furniture to drive interest in its brand. Since March, the patio furniture industry has seen record sales as buyers return to an economy ravaged by the pandemic, which has created a shortage in outdoor furniture supply. To capitalize on this excess in demand, Miller High Life is giving away a branded, dive bar-inspired patio set, including a red wicker couch, engraved table with barstool seats, munchies machine, a pergola with dim lighting and other themed decor.

The campaign picks up after an effort last year in which the brewer held a contest for a branded backyard dive bar that, like this present campaign, leveraged demand for a particular drinking setting. The previous effort saw 100,000 people enter to win — a level of success that the brewer could be aiming to repeat with its patio giveaway. Within the first 24 hours, over 10,000 people have already entered to win, per the announcement.

The sweepstakes will be held through a microsite, which could help Miller High Life to collect first-party data that is becoming increasingly important to marketers as other identifiers, such as Apple's IDFA and Google's third-party cookies, become less useful. The brewer is expanding this pool of potential first-party data by allowing mobile users to access the sweepstakes link via text, as well as selling individual items from the patio set to fans through its online shop.

The giveaway is also the latest from Miller High Life that uses relevant seasonal themes — in this case, late summer and early fall — to entice consumers to participate. For Valentine's Day, the brewer held a contest to pay for one couple's date night and their bar tab for life. Similarly, for last year's wedding season, Miller High Life hosted a contest that offered to pay for couples' weddings and honeymoons that were disrupted because of the pandemic.

Summer-focused messaging in particular has been employed by beer brands to excite consumers back to social drinking activities. Busch and Keystone Light, for example, launched rival sweepstakes to help consumers plan summer family reunions. The return of familiar themes was popular toward the beginning of the summer as vaccination rates increased and the pandemic appeared to be waning, but have since slowed down as the COVID-19 delta variant poses new threats to the country's recovery.

Miller High Life's parent company, Molson Coors, has been busy altering its strategy to meet changing consumer habits. Earlier this month, it cut 11 of its economy brands to make room for more premium offerings. To market these products, the company is leaning into special occasions, which could help to reach a wider diversity of consumers across its varied portfolio.