The Milwaukee beer that asked for an unfollow in a follow-first world

It’s too easy, and frankly unfair, to judge someone by just their social feed(s). Sure, life on Insta might not always mirror life on the streets, but in today’s world, life is life and our digital lives are part of our “real lives” because we all strive for belonging. We want and need community, and since I’m sitting (well, actually standing at my desk) in Milwaukee, it’s time to talk that — and beer.

Yes, beer.

This week, Miller Lite dropped a new marketing campaign encouraging us to unfollow their social accounts, noting that, “a few friends are better than a few thousand followers.” Sure, but having both is fine, too. Yet, the against-the-grain message and zag-when-they-zig play in the ad is clever — and is exactly what good messaging should do: connect, be unique and create conversation.

The ad, of course, wants to remind you about the connections you build when you’re hanging out with friends and enjoying a beer — aka Miller Time.

You probably know that we work with Miller, and — you know what — I drink Miller products. Many have asked for our thoughts on this new ad, and my experience says it’s difficult for a big brand to be local and national at the same time while scaling, growing and connecting to its roots. So, using the power of community…