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For years, Miller Time meant putting your feet up and relaxing with an ice-cold brew and hanging out with a few good friends.
The latest advertising campaigns from Milwaukee's Miller Brewing Co. suggest that Miller Time also leads to sexual prowess and conquests.
Television spots for Miller Lite, the brewer's flagship brand, and Miller Genuine Draft that are airing across the country contain a heavy dose of sexual innuendo.
While Miller Brewing is not the only U.S. brewer pushing the limits of decency with its ads Anheuser Busch Cos., St. Louis, is also playing up sex - a Miller MGD ad was nixed by network executives last summer.
All of the MGD ads include the tagline, "Never Miss a Genuine Opportunity," which cleverly plays into the sexual theme of the ads.
One mildly erotic MGD ad that rankled some TV networks shows a young woman in an apartment laundry room stripping down to her underwear and placing her clothes in a washer. An unassuming and startled young man enters the laundry room to wash clothes and recoils in disbelief after the seeing the half naked woman.
The woman in the MGD ad initially is embarrassed until the man pulls out a sixpack of MGD. The end shot is what caused net
network reviewers to think twice about approving the ad. The woman was tossing one of her undergarments into the man's washing machine. The voice-over at the end says: "Never miss a genuine opportunity."
When you look across the product category, said Miller's Bob Mikulay, a senior vice president of marketing, some spots deliver humor, some deliver sensuality and some focus on quality
"We cover the entire spectrum and speak in positive tones," Mikulay said. "We do a better job of defining the camaraderie...