The folks at Miller Lite knew people were missing bars, but they didn’t expect them to miss them as much as they did.
Miller Lite sold out its entire line of Bar Smells candles within less than a day. The candles, which were released in early April, were sold to raise funds for the United States Bartenders’ Guild Foundation, and the nearly 400 candles raised $8,000 for the fund.
“We knew many people were missing their favorite watering hole, but we were blown away by the response,” says Carol Krienik, associate marketing manager for Miller Lite. “The Miller Lite team was excited to see Bar Smells sell out so quickly, within 24 hours to be exact. Not only were we able to give consumers a memorable experience, but in doing so, we were able to continue our support of those in the service industry.”
The three candles each highlighted specific aspects of bar life: Dive Bar, Game Day Bar and Beer Garden. The candles were made by Penn & Beach Candle Co., and each candle boasted a blend of smells that people might enjoy in those specific places. Dive Bar, for example, smells of musk, tobacco, pine and yeast while Game Day Bar smells of salted peanut, jalapeño and cracked leather, and Beer Garden offers aromas of green moss, warm pretzel, cracked wood and sunburn.
All of these places, also usually, also smell of Miller Lite, Krienik notes. Penn & Beach worked with the Miller Lite team to “curate a blend of nostalgic aromatic scents reminiscent of the bar scene.” “Through testing a variety of candle scents, we were able to nail down three distinct smells (which we called) Dive Bar, Game Day Bar, and Beer Garden.”
The goal was to help consumers transport people to their favorite watering hole without ever having to leave their home. “Our goal was to continue our support of those in the service industry,” Krienik says. “Miller Lite has donated over 1 million dollars since the pandemic began to the service industry and we will continue to find ways to help as we know that this is far from over for them.”
Right now, Miller Lite has no plans to produce more candles, but if consumers clamor enough, perhaps the bar-evocative candle line will be continued.