Why did Miller brewing create this unusual bottle?
Large breweries are very competitive and they will stop at nothing to improve market share. Sometimes, the macro breweries will introduce a new product to keep consumer interest high, but more often than not, the big brewing operations tend to promote the heck out of their established brands. Miller Brewing is one of a handful of large brewers that spends a small fortune on marketing and advertising each year and one of Miller’s latest marketing ventures is its vortex bottle, used for packaging its best- selling brand, Miller Lite.
In case you haven’t been introduced, the Miller Lite vortex bottle is a bottle with a longer neck and spiraled grooves on the inside of the bottle. The grooves exist around the neck of the bottle, not the body, and they twist in a spiral- like manner, similar to a corkscrew. This gives the new Miller Lite bottle an unusual appearance that helps it stand out in the beverage aisle. Many beer drinkers agree that the Miller Lite bottle looks cool with this added enhancement, but why, exactly, did Miller Brewing do this? We know that Miller Brewing is very market driven, but what could possibly be the motivation for this concept? Is it going to enhance the flavor of the beer? Will it improve the drinking experience? Or, is it nothing more than a silly marketing gimmick to increase sales?
One thing about the vortex bottle does appear to be true: The design does make the beer pour faster from the Miller Lite bottle. A fast pour, however, can only lead to a few things. One is a greater level of bubbles and foam, but this isn’t necessarily something that beer drinkers want. Besides, Miller Lite is notorious for its fizzy body anyway and even if the foam level is more noticeable due to the vortex bottle, it will still fall apart quickly, just like beer poured from a regular bottle of Miller Lite. Another possibility is that a faster pour is intended to release the bouquet more quickly, whetting one’s appetite. However, Miller Lite has very little aroma in the first place and it is doubtful that the vortex bottle will do much to improve this fact. Finally, the vortex bottle could simply be a means to release the beer more quickly so that it can be consumed more quickly, but this is something Miller Brewing is not likely to admit, for obvious reasons.
Aside from the possibilities listed above, one other reason for the vortex bottle exists, and it is the most likely reason of all. That reason is pure marketing. It could simply be that Miller Brewing is worried about the lagging sales of Miller Lite and made the decision to change the product quickly- not just any change, but something out of the ordinary that would get people talking. The vortex bottle could have no practical significance at all. It may be nothing more than a marketing ploy to grab the attention of consumers, the media, and others, get them to communicate about the brand, and drive sales higher. Considering the number of articles on the internet and in print about the Miller Lite vortex bottle, if this really is Miller Brewing’s goal, the strategy seems to be working.
Whether the Miller Lite vortex bottle will ultimately improve sales is another story.
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