CHICAGO, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Miller Lite is encouraging beer drinkers to "save their summer" by collecting Taste Points and submitting them for the chance to win epic prizes.

The Taste Points program allows legal-drinking-age consumers to collect points found on specially marked packages of Miller Lite and by checking-in on foursquare at participating bars and restaurants. Consumers can bank Taste Points, team up with friends and use them to enter for the chance to win thousands of daily and weekly, or one of three epic prizes, including an around-the-world journey.

To support the Taste Points program, the brand that challenges light beer drinkers to "Man Up" is launching new TV commercials featuring the Miller Liteguards, an army of women tasked with saving men from making "unmanly" decisions such as choosing a beer with less taste than Miller Lite. The spots, which launched this week and run through July, direct viewers to TastePoints.com to register to win epic prizes. The program is also supported by print, radio, out-of-home and digital advertising, retail point-of-sale and public relations, including appearances by the Miller Liteguards at special events around the country.

"Great-tasting Miller Lite is here to save beer drinkers from having anything but an epic summer," said Grant Leech, vice president of marketing for Miller Lite. "Our Taste Points program will reward loyalty in a very cool and multi-faceted way, utilizing unique codes on specially marked packages of Miller Lite in concert with popular social-media platforms such as Facebook and foursquare. And of course, our Miller Liteguards will be out in bars and restaurants all summer long, ensuring men are making manly decisions, like choosing their light beer on taste."

The Miller Lite Taste Points program leverages Facebook by requiring consumers to be members of the social networking site in order to participate, and to invite Facebook friends to enter with them for the weekly and epic prizes that are awarded to four or eight person groups. Once the required number of friends joins, the group is entered for a chance to win. Consumers can create an unlimited number of groups to enter as many times as they like. Participants in the program will be able to see how many people or groups have entered to win each prize.

The Taste Points function like credits for redemption for entries to win prizes. Consumers can collect Taste Points by submitting official codes online, via SMS or on the Taste Points mobile site; codes are provided on specially marked packages of Miller Lite. Additionally, consumers who haven't already entered the maximum number of codes in a day will automatically receive Taste Points when checking in on foursquare at participating bars and restaurants. There is no limit to the number of prizes consumers may enter to win, or the number of times they can win.

The Miller Lite Taste Points program will award thousands of prizes, including three epics: a trip around the world, an island-hopping adventure in the British Virgin Islands and a trip to the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Charlotte featuring Miller Lite driver Brad Keselowski – held the same day – with a private jet to get from one race to the next.

Weekly prizes include a trip to a Gold Cup soccer tournament match and a VIP golf experience at Pebble Beach, and there will also be hundreds of daily prizes such as mini-grills and backpack coolers. There even are local prizes available in many areas based on zip code.

Consumers can collect and use Taste Points throughout the program, which begins May 1 and ends July 31, 2011. Taste Points will expire at the end of the program. No purchase is necessary; consumers may view the official rules and learn other ways to collect Taste Points – such as finding special codes featured in stores or online – at TastePoints.com.

About MillerCoors

MillerCoors brews, markets and sells the MillerCoors portfolio of brands in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  Built on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers.  MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30 percent of U.S. beer sales.  Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment.  Miller Lite is the great-tasting beer that established the American light beer category in 1975, and Coors Light is the brand that introduced consumers to refreshment as cold as the Rockies.  MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light.  The company also offers innovative products such as MGD 64, Miller Chill and Sparks.  The new MillerCoors craft and import company, Tenth and Blake, imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch and Molson Canadian and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company.  MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel's craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and two microbreweries, the 10^th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver.  The MillerCoors vision is to create the best beer company in America by driving profitable industry growth.  MillerCoors insists on building its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and environmental and community impact.  MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.

SOURCE Miller Lite