Miller Brewing's Deaf Ear/Update: MBC Denies It...

Back in the good old days, Miller Brewing was run by a family which knew left from right. Sadly, Harry John (a practitioner of genuine Catholicism) sold the place to WRGrace, who sold the place to Phillip Morris, who then sold the place to South African Brewing Co.

The Phillip Morris regime heightened the awareness of 'marketing' (and its evil step-child, 'segmentation') which, taken to its logical extreme, demonstrates the worst elements of mercantilist "thinking."

And Miller Brewing, once a solid citizen, has stepped into extreme mercantilism--AKA 'a pile of doo-doo'--which may have serious repercussions.

This time, as demonstrators march from Chinatown to House Speaker Dennis Hastert's (R-Ill.) Batavia office this weekend, they will have Miller Brewing Co., as a sponsor. The brewer has paid more than $30,000 for a planning convention, materials and newspaper ads publicizing the event.

The support of a major corporation for a controversial political cause shows how fierce the competition has become to woo the growing market of Latino consumers.

For Miller, the march offered a special chance to catch up. This spring the brewer drew the ire of pro-immigrant forces over contributions to U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), who sponsored legislation that would crack down on illegal immigrants. That prompted a short-lived boycott by some Latino groups.

Now, march advertisements feature not just the organizing committee's trademark blue globe but Miller's logo and a Spanish translation of its "Live Responsibly" slogan, a company effort to build goodwill among Latinos.

Miller's marketing gurus have, in effect, decided that the concerns of US citizens over illegal immigration are a distant second to Miller's grasping at a market segment.

There's backlash, as one might expect.

And, FWIW, anyone bringing a Miller product to mi casa will be asked to leave the product in their vehicle. It will NOT be consumed indoors.

As to what's here already: the containers make fine pellet-gun targets, no?

Asian Badger reports that Miller Brewing denies it.

Well, sorta, kinda, maybe, on the other hand:

...Miller recently had to deal with a boycott threat from an umbrella group of Midwestern Latino community organizations upset that Miller's political action committee had made $2,000 in campaign contributions to U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), sponsor of an immigration bill the group viewed as too harsh.

The boycott was quickly canceled after the two sides met in Chicago, and Miller agreed to run newspaper ads against the bill and help the group fight it.

But that's not all, folks:

As Miller denied involvement in the Chicago march, meanwhile, the leader of a Milwaukee immigrant-rights group that has held two large marches here said Miller had helped that organization financially.

Marino denied that too.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, said Miller contacted the group earlier this year and offered a donation before a May 1 march. She said the company provided what she believed was a couple hundred dollars used for buses to bring marchers from Racine and Kenosha.

Marino said Miller "did not support the May 1 march or participate in the May 1 march in any way."

So is Neumann-Ortiz a liar?

We know that there is a difference between Miller distributors and Miller Corporate. This MAY be where the confusion lies.

We also know that Miller Corporate is very closely involved in the "marketing/promotions" expenditures of its distributors.

The ban remains in effect at my home. Lock and Load on targets.