Dogfight

A-B swings back at Miller over dalmation ad.

Anheuser-Busch on Tuesday lashed out at Miller Brewing Company over a Miller Lite ad that playfully uses the Budweiser dalmation.

“Keep up the bad work, Miller Beer,” thundered a full-page ad in the USA Today. The ad goes on to say that the ad has prompted A-B to give a donation to animal rescue groups.

The ad -- in which a dalmation leaps from a Bud wagon into a Miller Lite delivery truck after reading the “more taste” and “fewer carbs” slogans -- marks the latest step in Miller’s hard-right turn back to advertising focused on product attributes. The commercial was created by Miller Lite agency BBH.

The A-B ad, decrying the Miller Lite commercial as “negative advertising,” continues: “Apparently, Miller Beer believes they have to say negative things about our brands to sell their beer.”

Actually, comparative advertising is a time-honored marketing strategy of No. 2 able challengers. Avis’ “We try harder” is probably the classic example.

And it’s worth recalling that Miller Lite sales increased when Miller first ran comparative ads in 2003 and 2004.

From a story in the online version of Ad Age:

"That fight seemed to benefit Miller, which gained market share in both years and didn't lose momentum until A-B slashed its long-held price premium in early 2005."

Back then A-B responded with harsh attacks, including denunciations of Miller’s “foreign ownership.” Then A-B publicly declared it wasn’t going to attack anymore -- though it did so again.

Indeed, A-B’s latest decision to blast back at Miller is somewhat surprising given that marketing execs there had previously told Ad Age they would not respond.

From an October 22 story:

"A-B marketing executives -- who greeted news of Miller's coming spoof of their icon with groans -- said repeatedly they will not let themselves be dragged into a similar battle again."

Indeed, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch story on Nov. 3 about Miller’s return to comparative advertising characterized the response of A-B’s top marketing exec as “muted.”

From the story:

"Regardless of any competitor's actions, we remain focused on raising the image of beer," David Peacock, vice president of marketing at A-B's domestic beer subsidiary, said in a statement. "In the interest of the entire industry, we remain committed to generating beer growth."

That said, at its distributor conference on Tuesday, A-B showed a modified version of the Miller Lite ad, according to a report in Ad Age. The twist: The dalmation defecates on a case of Miller Lite.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch story can be seen here.

Today's Ad Age story can be seen here.

The Ad Age piece about the A-B's modified version can be seen here.