In 1855, when Frederick E. Miller purchased the abandoned Plank Road Brewery in Wisconsin for $3,510, he could not have imagined what his business would become. In the 1990s, the Miller Brewing Company had become the second largest brewery in the United States, and its top brands, Miller High Life and Miller Lite, were household names. Miller's success can be attributed to the phenomenally successful marketing campaign started when Philip Morris purchased the company in 1969. Using former athletes and other celebrities to promote their products, Miller's marketers coined snappy catch phrases that entered the daily language of America. Slogans such as "Welcome to Miller Time" successfully transformed Miller High Life from an upscale to popular product, while "Less Filling! Tastes Great!" and "Everything you always wanted in a beer … and less" convinced men that Miller Lite was not just for weight-conscious women. These successes sent the company's pro-file and its profits soaring, and the beer was established as a popular staple ingredient of American life by the end of the twentieth century.

Further Reading:

Apps, Jerry. Breweries of Wisconsin. Madison, University of Wisconsin Press, 1992.

Deford, Frank. Lite Reading. New York, Penguin, 1994.