Situation: Gaming is now a larger industry than all other entertainment industries combined. It is an essential growth market for a mass beer brand like Miller Lite. However, advertising to gamers is notoriously difficult. They're quick to call bullshit on anything that smells like an ad, and can be downright hostile.

Brief: Miller Lite wanted an endemic way to advertise to gamers, and make themselves a true part of the community.

Objectives:

-Increase purchase intent and awareness of Miller Lite amongst gamers

-Generate earned media

We didn’t advertise to gamers. We made the Cantroller. A full 12oz. can of Miller Lite that doubled as a video game controller. A custom designed microchip and battery fit perfectly in the bottom of the beer can. Those pieces connected to a flexible circuit board with clickable buttons. Bluetooth made it compatible with billions of games.

Then, we held a video-game tournament at E3, the biggest gaming conference in the world. Gamers could compete against Comedian Eric Andre to win one of the hundred Cantrollers we made. The event was live-streamed on Twitch, launching Miller Lite’s Twitch channel.

The cantroller was a technology innovation by a CPG brand. We wanted to activate traditional CPG/beer media as well as technology and gaming media that would normally never cover Miller Lite.

To ensure technology and gaming coverage, we pitched in-office demos that outlets could turn into content of their own.

If outlets agreed to demos, we offered free tickets to cover the event at E3. Many outlets took up the offer. Intrigued by demo, they showed up to our live event to follow up on whether this was a cheap gimmick or a real innovation in the gaming space.

The strategy ensured follow-up coverage in many of the largest outlets we were covered in, increasing earned impression by several magnitudes.

The Cantroller itself was designed by an international team over the course of several months. Multiple prototypes were developed to achieve the final look where the battery was hidden in the base of the can.

Once developed, the launch of the Cantroller was teased with a launch video in a targeted social media campaign. The video alerted gamers to that they could get a Cantroller at E3.

Two weeks later, we hosted the live event at E3. Gamers were invited to the event with OOH around the event, flyers, on-the-street teams, and targeted social. Thousands of influential gamers attended, generating genuine interest in the community for Miller Lite.

A hundred cantrollers were given away at the event, with many gamers saying

Miller Lite's event was the best part of E3.

Cantroller drove Purchase Intent amongst gamers up 728%

There was $25 million earned media, generating over 1 billion impressions, including coverage in leading game publications.

The cumulative time spent watching our branded Twitch Stream was 946 days, record for a branded stream. Our Twitch stream was so successful, Twitch hired Eric Andre as a spokesperson shortly after our campaign.