When Bill Howell joined Miller Brewing in 1970, the “champagne of beers” ranked as the nation’s No. 7 brew.
But Mr. Howell helped widen the appeal to a mass market of blue-collar drinkers and transform the American brewing industry with the introduction of the nation’s first mainstream low-calorie beer. By the time he retired from Miller in 1988, it was the nation’s No. 2 brewery.
Mr. Howell died May 25 in Richmond after a long illness. He was 83.
“The goal was to take Miller out of the champagne bucket and put it into the lunch bucket without losing that premium image,” said Leonard Goldstein, who replaced Mr. Howell as Miller’s chief executive.
He moved to build new breweries to keep up with demand, said Billy Apple, a retired Miller executive who worked for decades with Howell.
William K. Howell grew up in rural Virginia and attended the University of Richmond, where he played wide receiver on a football scholarship and studied business. After a stint in the Marine Corps, he took a job at the Philip Morris tobacco company in Richmond.
When Philip Morris diversified beyond its cigarette brands with the 1970 acquisition of Miller Brewing, Mr. Howell moved to Milwaukee to become vice president of operations. He became chief executive in 1984.
At the time of the Philip Morris acquisition, Miller was best known for its “High Life” brand.
Philip Morris wanted to bring a new image to Miller. Mr. Howell helped introduce the “It’s Miller time” advertising slogan, conveying the notion that Miller was the beer of the working man.
Miller’s biggest breakthrough was the 1973 introduction of Miller Lite. No other brewery had found the brewing formula or marketing strategy for a successful low-calorie, low-alcohol beer.
Mr. Howell worked with the brewmasters on a formula that had 96 calories but tasted like regular lager. The idea was to market Miller Lite to men and dispel the notion that it was a watery women’s drink.
Miller created a genre of amusing television advertisements, hiring sports figures such as John Madden, Mike Ditka, Bob Uecker and celebrities such as Rodney Dangerfield.
Mr. Howell worked with the marketing team to come up with the slogan, “Great Taste, Less Filling.” Commercials ended with the catchphrase: “Everything you’ve always wanted in a beer. And less.”
Miller ignited change across the brewing world. Other breweries followed suit with light beers of their own, including Miller’s main rival, Anheuser-Busch.
Since Mr. Howell retired, Miller has had several ownership changes. South African Breweries acquired Miller in 2002, and it now exists in a joint venture with Molson Coors, called MillerCoors. It retains its brewing operations in Milwaukee.
Mr. Howell is survived by his wife, two sons and grandchildren.
