Turner Broadcasting, boasting a portfolio of diverse, multi-screen media brands, is partnering with MillerCoors in 2013 through a variety of marketing executions spanning TBS, TNT, CNN, truTV, Funny Or Die, NBA on TNT, Bleacher Report, NASCAR.com and more. Each component is uniquely developed to reach the right audience for the specific MillerCoors brands, including Coors Light, Miller Lite, Miller 64, Blue Moon and Leinenkugel’s, as well as new brands such as Redd’s Apple Ale and Third Shift. Media agency Initiative was responsible for negotiating the deal on behalf of MillerCoors.Starting this month and going throughout the year, MillerCoors brands will appear in many of TBS and TNT’s most popular original series through responsible product integration and set dressing. Through this category-exclusive arrangement, writers for TBS and TNT originals now have access to incorporate a MillerCoors product wherever it makes sense to incorporate a beer, neons, barware, tap-handles and even trucks.
This writer’s wall approach will span multiple shows, with in-show integrations like Blue Moon within TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, which starts its fourth season in June; Coors Light, along with additional brands featured at the bar setting of TBS’s Sullivan & Son, returning for its second season in June; Miller Lite within the current season of TNT’s Dallas airing Mondays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT); Coors Light and Blue Moon within TNT’s Franklin & Bash, returning for its third season in late summer; and Miller 64 and Miller Lite integrations within TNT’s upcoming competition series, The Hero, featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, premiering in June. Additional series in which integrations may appear include TNT’s Perception, Major Crimes, King & Maxwell, and TBS’s Deon Cole’s Black Box.
“This deal will change the way the industry approaches and collaborates on brand integration,” said Donna Speciale, president of Turner Entertainment and Young Adults Ad Sales & Marketing. “It’s smart and most importantly, it keeps the viewing experience our priority, with writers now able to utilize highly recognizable brands as episodes are developed by naturally integrating them within the show. Through this long-term, collaborative approach, we are able to create multiple opportunities for MillerCoors to engage with their target audiences for their spectrum of beer brands across our wide scale audience reach.”
The new partnership with Turner is an example of how MillerCoors is looking to work with networks and programs that are willing to go beyond the traditional advertising buy, according to Jackie Woodward, MillerCoors vice president of marketing connections.
“We’re continuously looking for ways to engage legal-drinking-age consumers in ways that will break through and help our brands stand apart from the competition,” said Woodward. “The team at Turner has done a great job in recent years of identifying opportunities for greater integration. With this expansion of our partnership, they’ve demonstrated the ability to deliver more value for sponsors while enhancing the quality of their programming as they continue to deliver outstanding original programming.”
In addition to collaborating with TBS and TNT, MillerCoors is also separately sponsoring an assortment of programs and platforms across the Turner portfolio. While some details are still being developed, those sponsorships will include distinct branded promotions, like a custom dare within truTV’s popular series Impractical Jokers this summer; a distinct grassroots tour with Funny Or Die later this year; sponsorship of NASCAR Mobile 2013 with custom Miss Coors Light content integration; enhancements with Miller Lite and Coors Light during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on TNT; Coors light branding support for Bleacher Report’s five-star rated Team Stream app; and a launch sponsorship with the spring debut of CNN’s “Parts Unknown,” a new series featuring Anthony Bourdain.
“With a large-scale portfolio of broad-reaching linear and digital media brands, we have the fortunate ability at Turner to work together with our clients to develop highly-engaging, audience-specific campaigns,” said Greg D’Alba, president of CNN News and Turner Digital Ad Sales & Marketing. “From the anticipated premiere of Parts Unknown to the sought-after Funny Or Die comedy portal, we continue to take a collaborative approach as a company to create efficient campaigns for smart marketers like MillerCoors.”
