Dive Brief:

• Miller High Life, owned by Molson Coors, has partnered with direct-to-consumer formal menswear brand the Tie Bar on a wedding-theme line of merchandise, according to a press release.
• The limited-edition collection is available on the Tie Bar website and includes High Life-branded cufflinks, ties, socks and a garment bag that doubles as a cooler. A gift set for groomsmen includes red dress socks, a leather beer koozie and a silk pocket square.
• The partnership comes as wedding season approaches and large in-person events become commonplace again after years of COVID-19 restrictions.

Dive Insight:

With online shopping for wedding-related merchandise on the rise, Miller High Life is building on a long-term strategy of aligning the beer with nuptials to reach online shoppers through a limited-edition collection of groomsmen accessories. The partnership with Tie Bar comes as experts predict a "wedding boom," in 2022, when COVID-19 restrictions have been significantly loosened or done away with entirely. An estimated 2.6 million weddings are expected to take place in 2022, up from 2.2 million weddings in 2019. During the height of the pandemic, many weddings were postponed because in-person celebrations were forced to pause.

Miller High Life has seen a spike in sales in recent years, largely due to millennials, who have shown a preference for online shopping. According to parent company Molson Coors, the beer is the No. 2 share gainer year-to-date in the economy beer category.

The brand has also long positioned itself as a classy yet economical beer. The brand claims the brew's color and bubbles are indicative of champagne, inspiring the slogan, "Champagne of Beers." The brand has gone so far as to even sell the beer in champagne bottles, making a tie-in with weddings an easy extension for the brew.

Tie Bar has made a business out of providing menswear for such occasions, with affordable, fun options. This aligns with the image Miller High Life attempts to project, classy, yet affordable. The timing of the tie-in is line with wedding season, which tends to last from late spring through early fall, with weddings peaking in June and September.

The partnership with Tie Bar isn't the first time Miller High Life has attempted to insert itself into a couple's big day. In 2020, the brand performed "doorstep weddings" for those who had to cancel or postpone their ceremonies due to the pandemic. The stunt was used to promote limited-edition Miller High Life "Couple Cans," which feature the beer poured into a champagne glass.