Lite clapbacks at Light for “corn syrup” jab

Not only did Bud Light’s “Bud Knight” have to joust with (spoiler: and die) Game of thrones “The Mountain,” now the beer brand has to tussle with its competitor Miller Lite.

But they started it.

There are is no throne at stake per se. Only corn syrup.

As part of their Super Bowl strategy (Tide did it first, fellas), Bud Light placed an ad in each quarter, featuring its cast of Medieval misfits to start a conversation and point out that Miller Lite uses “corn syrup” as part of their ingredients.

According to AgencySpy, Miller Lite, via AOR DDB Chicago, responded with a full-page ad in The New York Times.

“We want consumers to know the facts about why and how Miller Lite uses corn syrup in the brewing process,” a MillerCoors spokesperson said, explaining the brand chose The New York Times for its reach and the size of its audience. “We want readers to know we are proud of our beers and proud of the ingredients we use in those beers. Corn syrup cleanly and efficiently converts to alcohol during fermentation and has a neutral taste. It isn’t added after brewing nor does it appear in the finished beer.”

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Miller Lite also has realized that the pen (or keypad) is mightier than a Bud Knight’s sword by trolling Bud Light on Twitter:

On a Miller Lite Blog, written by MillerCoors Communications Manager Peter Frost, the brand pondered why Bud Light launched the “low-performing” Super Bowl spots:

“Bud Light VP Andy Goeler told Ad Age’s E.J. Schultz Sunday that the brand aimed to bring “ingredient transparency” to the industry and elevate the standards. “As the lead brand in the industry this is something that’s good for beer. It’s good for us, the lead brand, to make a bold move like this.”

What Goeler didn’t tell Schultz was that a number of Anheuser-Busch products also use corn syrup. And on top of that, some of them use high-fructose corn syrup, which nutritionists have called “Public Health Enemy No. 1.” No MillerCoors product uses high-fructose corn syrup.

MillerCoors CEO Gavin Hattersley has his own suspicions on Bud Light’s motive.

“Bud Light is starting this fight for one simple reason. They are scared. Coors Light and Miller Lite are making inroads and Bud Light doesn’t have an answer. We’re getting under the competition’s skin, and we’re ready to take more of their market share too,” he said in a Sunday note to distributors.”

Twitter has also responded to the “brewing” war:

In response to Miller Lite’s full-page ad, a Bud Light launched their own Twitter trolling:

Bud Light has also made an enemy of the Corn Farmers. But they’re not showing up with pitchforks. They too are trolling on Twitter:

Who will win this? Not sure. But, Bud Light may need a dragon or frozen zombies to stop Miller Lite and the Corn industry from going all “Killy, Killy” on them.

Source: NY Times