Miller signs up Fun Lovin’ Criminals for brand support

Scottish Courage, in what it claims to be a world first, has signed US band Fun Lovin’ Criminals to perform a previously unheard track in its new ad for premium packaged American lager Miller Genuine Draft.

Created by Scottish Courage roster agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, the ad will appear on TV and cinema.

Set on the gridlocked streets of New York, the 40- and 60-second executions show the band drinking bottles of Miller as they perform an impromptu gig while stuck in a traffic jam.

Scottish Courage hopes the advertising campaign, which breaks on Friday (December 1), will be the start of a collaboration between the brand and the Fun Lovin’ Criminals.

Scottish Courage spokesman David Jones says: “We believe there is a lot of synergy between the band and the brand. They both come from America but are very popular in the UK. The Fun Lovin’ Criminals are streetwise and part of an urban generation which is very much the positioning of Miller.”

Ruth Simmons, managing director of music consultancy Songseekers International, adds: “For a brand to take a band and a new track is quite a brave thing to do. This is an exciting piece of news and very encouraging for my industry. I hope it makes more bands sit up and recognise that the advertising industry is artistically creative.”

One 2 One, the UK digital mobile phone network, is to sponsor a series of concerts by the Fun Lovin Criminals in December. The only way to attend the gigs in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Brighton will be through entering a competition on One 2 One’s website and dedicated phone line.