Situation

Women are severely underrepresented in the beer industry. According to data by the Brewers Association, only 7.5% of breweries employed a female brewer and women now make up only 2% of brewery owned-businesses within the U.S.

To quote a female brewer “If you don’t see someone else doing a job or enjoying something, it’s harder to imagine yourself enjoying it”.

In response to that, Miller Lite has been creating programs, partnerships, and efforts to create a more inclusive environment for women in the beer industry.

Brief

Miller Lite asked us to find a way to bring women back to the beer industry by making them feel recognized, inspired and represented.

Objectives

1. Give women the credit they deserve

2. Invite more women into the beer industry

3. Change the perception that 'beer is a male beverage'

4. Promote women entrepreneurship

5. Disrupt the beer industry

Women were responsible for brewing beer throughout history, from Mesopotamia to colonial America— until they were pushed aside by men once the industry became profitable. Centuries later, women’s role was reduced to marketing props, filling bars and advertisements with bikini-clad, sexist paraphernalia.

From posters to calendars, many of those items are still sold on the Internet today.

To right the entire beer industry´s wrong, Miller Lite went on a mission to purchase every sexist beer ad it could find off the Internet.

Then took all of those ads and turned them into fertilizer that was later used to grow hops.

The hops are being donated to 200+ independent women brewers to help them brew their beer.

The movement launched with a film featuring actor, comedian and women’s right activist Ilana Glazer who invited consumers to send all the sexist beer ads they could find to create more Good $#!T.

Miller Lite identified March –Women’s History Month-- as ideal for sparking a conversation about how there would be no beer without women, and how the industry had a shameful, decades-long legacy of sexist marketing.

The campaign would literally turn that “Bad S#!T” into “Good S#!T,” and the primary storytelling vehicles were a video explainer starring comedian Ilana Glazer, and a microsite where people could learn more and participate.

Media coverage was needed for reach and impact; a broad range of targeted verticals included food & beverage, pop culture, general news and trade industry media. Glazer was critical tdue to her relevance to key women’s lifestyle and entertainment outlets, and for her ability to personalize the story.

She told People: "While we were shooting, those ads really struck me. I remembered them from my childhood and how they made me feel, and it was so vindicating."

In 2022, Miller Lite began scouring the Internet to buy back all the sexist beer ads they could find.

Those ads were then transformed into fertilizer with the help of Dr. Lanette Sobel, Doctor of Plant Medicine, from Fertile Earth Worm Farm.

Tons of Good $#!T was created to grow hops that will be donated to hundreds of women brewers to produce their beer.

The movement was announced on International Women’s Month (March 2023) and ran on a national scale across paid and owned social media.

Social media directed consumers to a microsite, which provided information of the movement, and encouraged consumers to send sexist beer ads so they could also be turned into fertilizer.

The movement continues as the brand keeps buying items online as they appear, and as people keep sending more bad $#!T to turn into Good $#!T.

• Several tons of Good $#!T created to date and counting.

• Benefitted hundreds of women brewers.

• 330,000+ beers will be created out of The Good $#!T.

• $60,000 donated to Pink Boots Society to provide resources, equipment and advertising for female brewers.

• Dollar sales up 7.2% during launch week (+$3M)

• Dollar sales growth in March for the first time in 3 years.

• Highest share of premium lights in 3 years.

• Promoted female entrepreneurship and job creation in the industry.

• The movement educated viewers of the history of women in beer and restored the importance of women in beer.

• 1.1 billion impressions.

• 600+ million organic impressions.

• $10+ million earned media.

• +400% brand affinity increase.

• Message penetration goals surpassed by 10% in the first weeks

• 98% positive sentiment on social media.

• Thousands of items sent by people.