Bud Light Lime is apparently eating Miller Chill's lunch. Chill, which was an initial big success for Miller, has dropped in sales by 47%. Bud Light Lime, meanwhile, is being given credit for driving a 3.6% increase in sales volume for A-B in the quarter just ending.
Miller's scrambling to put a good face on things, but it looks like A-B's policy of fine-tuning their competitors' successes has served them once again.
8 comments:
Not only that, but BL Lime is more affordably priced, just about two bucks more than Bud Light. Miller Chill, on the other hand, is priced eight or nine bucks more than Lite. Duh!
They're laying it on pretty thick, too, with the "you should still drink Bud Lite Lime in the fall" ads.
Tom E
http://destinationbeer.blogspot.com/
Sam,
Miller got greedy on Chill, thought people paid more for craft beer just because they "wanted" to pay more for beer. Miller hasn't understood the craft beer thing yet.
Tom,
That's just more of the same: Chill dive-bombed in the winter, and A-B's trying to forestall that. Forewarned is fore-marketed.
The first time we saw one of those "Seasons change, tastes don't" ads, my girlfriend said something like, "You know somebody was scrambling after thinking, 'Oh, no, we marketed this as a summer beer!'" It's funny how obvious the ad campaign is.
two words: Hop n' Gator
or is that 1 word, or 3?
Although my one Chill and two Bud Lt Lime sampling does not make me an expert on either, I think that the Bud Lt Lime is closer to the Corona and a lime taste that seems to transend seasons. Bud Lt Lime may be one of the reasons that Corona sales are soft and maybe Bud Lt lime will not have such a fall out as Chill. I don't think the new ads were a last minute ephinany for the marketers, just a natural progression. For those than like a much lighter taste (if that really is taste)they have at least a choice to make. I'll stick with a little more, no a LOT more flavor when it comes to my choice of products.
In the Midwest, there isn't a price difference between Chill and BL Lime.
I like a lot of BMC brews, so what I'm about to say isn't mindless BMC bashing:
Miller Chill is the worst-tasting beer I've ever had, beating out Tequiza and Black Label. In fact, Chill tastes like Tequiza, only more so. If BL Lime tastes like beer with lime, there's no reason to consider Chill. I'm actually afraid to try BL Lime, because Chill is so bad. I'm afraid it might taste like Chill. I think Chill took a nosedive because few would buy it again, not because of BL Lime.
And the thing is... Miller's Leinenkugel offerings are fine. The summer Shandy? Not bad tasting. The fall Apple brew? Preferable to many 5% "ciders." How in the name of all that is tasty did Chill go so wrong?
maybe miller will come out with a american ale but probably not because the ones i see are all getting dusty .american ale isnt bad but bud drinkers just want those 2 main beers. people on a budget who use to drink corona are drinking bud lime
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