Miller Lite launches Web Site to kick-off Gold Cup program.

Miller Lite launched its first ever Hispanic web site as part of its overall sponsorship of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. MillerLiteLatino.com will be the brand’s online hub and will house all future Miller Lite Hispanic promotions, interactive content, product information and advertising.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the Hispanic community, Miller Lite has also developed a special online experience, Mission: Fútbol. This content is the first of its kind from a beer company developed specifically for Hispanics.

To help promote Mission: Fútbol, Miller Lite has formed a new strategic alliance with Yahoo! Telemundo. From May through July, the brand will provide content and have an advertising presence on the Yahoo! Telemundo Juegos and Yahoo! Games sites, as well as on Yahoo! Telemundo’s Copa de Oro mini-site.

“This new site and interactive content links directly to the theme for many of Miller Lite’s Gold Cup program initiatives – United with Passion (Unidos con Pasión),” said Dave Dixon, Miller’s senior director of Hispanic marketing. “The Yahoo! Telemundo alliance is a natural fit for this program as it will quickly bring together fans from throughout North and Central America, the Caribbean and the U.S, providing the ideal springboard for the rest of our Gold Cup activities.”

Online gaming represents an emerging trend for online U.S. Hispanics and Miller was quick to recognize its marketing potential — consumers can spend anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours playing online – that’s a long time to be interacting with a brand,” said Adam Chandler, executive director, U.S. sales, Yahoo! Telemundo. “This is a very forward thinking program in the branded entertainment space and takes online advertising to the next level of engagement.”

Legal-drinking-age consumers who play Mission: Fútbol will first select the country they want to represent and create their own avatar. Their avatar will start outside a stadium where a Gold Cup match is about to begin, with the objective of getting from outside the stadium to their seat in time for the match as fast as possible while trying to achieve the highest score.

There are three levels to Mission: Fútbol, all of which present a variety of obstacles such as boisterous fans and large crowds, but each level also allows players to gain points by securing VIP tickets and hanging up Miller Lite posters.

The game features both a personal leader board and a country leader board. The country leader board ties into each fan’s passion as players gain points for their country of origin in hopes of having their country rank at the top of the board and show the most pride.