Springtime ad campaigns for domestic light beers in the US are registering significantly with millennials, but will that translate into long-awaited sales?
Bud Light received the biggest perception boost over these past two months from this demo, likely from raising the alcohol content of its Platinum line and rolling out its “Lime-A-Rita” under two new ad agencies, McGarry Bowen and Translation.
As a matter of fact, Bud Light was the only one of the major three megabrand light beers to garner more positive perception feedback than negative from millennials. Bud Light has even been tracking higher than the perception of the premium beer brands sector since the end of April.
Second-biggest gainer Coors Light has likely been propelled by being an official sponsor of the NHL during its playoffs and rap star Ice Cube’s new “coldest rapper” ads featuring his bodyguard Tiny. Miller Lite’s revival of its classic “Miller Time” tagline at the end of March in hopes of jumpstarting its sagging sales numbers didn’t seem to have much of an impact until a month later. While still lagging behind the other two brands and like Coors Light, receiving more negative feedback than positive, Miller Lite has seen modest perception gains.
Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light and the premium beer sector were measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Index score, the company’s flagship brand health measurement. The Index score is an average of six key YouGov BrandIndex measurements: value, quality, satisfaction, general impression, reputation and willingness to recommend. For this research, all respondents were screened for adults 21 – 34. Brands in the premium beer sector include Amstel, Beck’s, Dos Equis, Foster’s, Heineken, Molson and Peroni.
YouGov BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.
Bud Light began its road up the chart on March 19th, when it had an Index score of -6. By April 27th, in the thick of NHL playoffs, Bud Light had passed the premium beer sector and remains above it with a score of 1.
Coors Light started slightly lower with a -7 score on March 19th, working its way up steadily to -2 score.
Miller Lite began with a -8 score, but stayed around -7 until April 26th, when it finally kicked in for the brand, bringing them up to a current -3 score.
