Miller Lite yesterday signed on as the official beer of MLB in Canada, and with the Blue Jays having a pact with Budweiser, both sides claim there is "enough beer, and enough consumers of it, to satisfy everyone," according to Morgan Campbell of the TORONTO STAR. SABMiller Canada Dir of Marketing Keith Fawcett said, "What we have before us is an untapped opportunity. It’s bigger than the Jays. There’s a strong link between our brand and the MLB brand." He acknowledged that the Blue Jays "are Canada’s team, but points out the fans in the Maritimes often follow" the Red Sox and that the Twins "have supporters in Winnipeg." Campbell notes the Blue Jays marketing team "aggressively protects" the Bud deal. Miller Lite’s five-year deal with MLB Canada "doesn’t include pouring rights at the Rogers Centre, and the Jays say the sponsorship [for] Canada won’t affect beer options at their games." Since Miller Lite "can’t sell beer at Jays games, experts say the value in the deal lies in the brewer’s ability to activate the deal through promotions and fan engagement" (TORONTO STAR, 6/4).
