Miller Lite Bids Farewell to Work Holiday Parties

CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — 2020 has upset most holiday traditions, but there is one that many have mixed feelings over – the evolution of work holiday parties. In fact, over 50% of full-time office employees say they aren’t sad to see these parties go, and 70% would choose time off from work over a holiday party*. Feelings may be mixed, but Miller Lite hopes there is one thing we can agree on: not attending a work holiday party means more time for people to enjoy Miller Lite with a few real friends. ‘Tis Miller Time!

To bid farewell to the work holiday parties of the past, Miller Lite teamed up with renowned visual artist, Alex Prager, to memorialize their cringiest moments in a campaign launching today. Hyperrealist sculptural figures created by the artist and featured in the campaign will be featured in an art installation on display outdoors at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and in a virtual experience at LACMA.org.

“Farewell Work Holiday Parties” will be supported with robust marketing support including national TV, social, digital and public relations. Click here to view the featured campaign video. The program rounds out Miller Lite’s full holiday programming that includes a new lineup of ‘ugly’ holiday knitwear and refreshed holiday packaging.

“With many companies nixing the traditional holiday party, we’re focused on the silver lining – more time with a few real friends, which is what Miller Time is all about,” said Courtney Carter Dugan, director of activation for Miller Lite. “Not having to make awkward small talk or being forced to take photobooth pictures with coworkers is a holiday gift in and of itself.”

The campaign, created in partnership by DDB Chicago and San Francisco, began with a simple question: if the pandemic cancelled traditional work holiday parties, would anyone miss them? Probably not. Enter: Tis Miller Time. Miller Time embodies the moments when friends can come together and be themselves, and that is often far from what you’d expect at the work holiday parties of the past. When dreaming up a party filled with an array of characters in uncanny situations, the team initially referenced Alex Prager’s work, and was ultimately able to partner with her to create the artwork.

“Miller Lite and DDB trusted me to make 15 life sculptures with complete creative autonomy. It’s one of those dream collaborations that comes along once every five years or so,” said Alex Prager, artist behind the Miller Lite campaign. “It touches on many things I’ve been exploring in my artistic practice – the line between reality and artifice and how we find ways to connect as humans through both raw emotion and performance, or projected realities. This year has been a disaster in terms of connecting with people we share common realities with, so I was very excited to work on a project that is ultimately about love and the human condition seen through an elegant and humorous lens.”

The outdoor installation, sponsored by Miller Lite, will be open and free to the public at LACMA starting Saturday, November 21 and will run through January 3, 2021. It will be held on the museum’s Smidt Welcome Plaza, following strict distancing and safety protocols. For more information and hours, visitors can go to LACMA.org.

“Alex Prager, a renowned L.A.-based artist who is represented in LACMA’s collection, is always working on the boundaries of art and film,” said exhibition curators Rita Gonzalez, Terri and Michael Smooke Curator and Department Head of Contemporary Art at LACMA, and Liz Andrews, Executive Administrator, Director’s Office. “We’re excited to host an installation of new Los Angeles work, for which Prager engaged a local Hollywood special effects company with Miller Lite’s generous investment.”

For those that want to celebrate their newfound Miller Time, Miller Lite is giving away 6-packs to celebrate the holidays at home with their real friends. Visit @MillerLite on Twitter to learn how to claim yours using #TisMillerTime. For more information, people can visit MillerLite.com or follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

*This survey was conducted by ENGINE INSIGHTS among a sample of 1,003 U.S. adults 21 years of age and older who are employed full time and currently work in an office space, or work from home but worked in an office space prior to COVID.  This survey was live on November 6-12, 2020.

**Beer Purch. Req’d. Must be 21+. 11/19/20 – 12/12/20, or until supplies run out (whichever comes first). Receipt submitted by 12/19/20. Offer $ varies by state (full price in certain states, 50% price in other states). Void in AL, AR, HI, IN, LA, MN, MO, NC, TX, UT, WV and where prohibited by law. Msg & Data Rights May Apply. Rebate via PayPal or Venmo. Cannot be combined w/ other offers. See http://m.kou.pn/zg9nhq for details, including state limits.

About Miller Brewing Company
Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 by Frederick J. Miller when he purchased the Plank Road Brewery in Milwaukee, a city he chose as the best place for a brewery given its access to great water. Miller Lite, the original great-tasting light pilsner beer, (MillerLite.com, Facebook.com/MillerLite, @MillerLite on Twitter, YouTube.com/MillerLite) was introduced nationally in 1975 and is among the top-five selling beers in the United States. The brewery’s oldest enduring beer is Miller High Life (MillerHighLife.com, Facebook.com/MillerHighLife, @MillerHighLife on Twitter). Known as the Champagne of Beers, it was introduced in 1903 and still is brewed with the same yeast strain that Miller carried in his pocket from Germany. Miller Genuine Draft (MGD.com, Facebook.com/MillerGenuineDraft, @Miller_Global on Twitter), introduced in 1986, is the original cold-filtered, packaged draft beer. Miller Brewing Company is part of the North America business unit of Molson Coors Beverage Company. Learn more at MolsonCoors.com, at Facebook.com/MolsonCoors or Instagram and Twitter through @MolsonCoors.