A thousand promo products are worth one Super Bowl ad.

At least, that’s the message from Miller Lite’s big game promotion. The beer brand decided not to shell out the $6.5 million to $7 million it would have cost to run a 30-second commercial during the game on CBS.

Instead, the Molson Coors brand came up with what it’s calling a “Running of the Beer Ads” campaign. Starting Feb. 1, football fans can sign up online to receive a Miller Game Time Jersey featuring a QR code on each side.

The first 1,000 customers who do so will receive a kit containing the limited-edition jerseys, $100, a runner sticker and instructions on how to participate. During the Super Bowl, on Feb. 11, fans wearing their branded jerseys are encouraged to go on a “beer run,” during which time onlookers can scan the QR code for a chance to win a share of $170,000 in prize money and other rewards, according to Marketing Dive. The five people whose jerseys were scanned the most will receive free beer for a year, via a Venmo payment.

“They’ll wear the Miller Game Time Jersey as they go for a beer run, maybe to get a Miller Lite for themselves or their friends during the big game commercial breaks, making them a literal running beer ad,” said Michelle Nagel, senior marketing manager for Miller Lite.

Miller teamed up with actor Rob Riggle to be “lead beer runner” and encourage participation in the game day contest.

“This is one of the largest beer-selling moments of the year, and Miller Lite has a history of taking the spotlight in unexpected ways during the big game,” said Ann Legan, global vice president of marketing for the Miller Family of Brands.

Miller Lite isn’t the only big brand eschewing traditional Super Bowl commercials this year. Others include Heineken and car brands like GM, Ford and Stellantis. Sticker shock could be a factor in those decisions: Back in 2020, when a Super Bowl ad was a mere $5.6 million for 30 seconds, ASI Media determined that the price of one commercial could buy more than 8.1 million bottle openers, over a million aluminum water bottles or just under 1 million baseball caps.

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