Miller Christmas ad: Farewell, Work Holiday Parties

“Farewell Work Holiday Parties” is the name of the Miller Christmas ad. created by DDB Chicago and San Francisco.

The advertisement is based on a study that mentions that over 50% of full-time office employees say they aren’t sad to see these parties go, and 70% would choose time off from work over a holiday party. So, Miller Lite hopes there is one thing we can agree on: not attending a work holiday party means more time for people to enjoy Miller Lite with a few real friends. The tagline is ‘Tis Miller Time!

To bid farewell to the work holiday parties of the past, Miller Lite teamed up with the renowned visual artist, Alex Prager, to memorialize their cringiest moments in this campaign. Hyperrealist sculptural figures created by the artist and featured in the campaign will be featured in an art installation on display outdoors at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and in a virtual experience at LACMA.org.

Alex Prager he is known for making photographs and short films embellished with Technicolor fantasy but grounded in the pains and pleasures of every day.

The program rounds out Miller Lite’s full holiday programming that includes a new lineup of ‘ugly’ holiday knitwear and refreshed holiday packaging.

More time with a few real friends

“With many companies nixing the traditional holiday party, we’re focused on the silver lining – more time with a few real friends, which is what Miller Time is all about,” said Courtney Carter Dugan, director of activation for Miller Lite. “Not having to make awkward small talk or being forced to take photobooth pictures with coworkers is a holiday gift in and of itself.”

The campaign began with a simple question: if the pandemic canceled traditional work holiday parties, would anyone miss them? Probably not. Enter: Tis Miller Time. Miller Time embodies the moments when friends can come together and be themselves, and that is often far from what you’d expect at the work holiday parties of the past. When dreaming up a party filled with an array of characters in uncanny situations, the team initially referenced Alex Prager’s work and was ultimately able to partner with her to create the artwork.

Alex Prager

“Miller Lite and DDB trusted me to make 15 life sculptures with complete creative autonomy. It’s one of those dream collaborations that comes along once every five years or so,” said Alex Prager. “It touches on many things I’ve been exploring in my artistic practice – the line between reality and artifice and how we find ways to connect as humans through both raw emotion and performance, or projected realities. This year has been a disaster in terms of connecting with people we share common realities with, so I was very excited to work on a project that is ultimately about love and the human condition seen through an elegant and humorous lens.“

“Alex Prager, a renowned L.A.-based artist who is represented in LACMA’s collection, is always working on the boundaries of art and film,” said exhibition curators Rita Gonzalez, Terri and Michael Smooke Curator and Department Head of Contemporary Art at LACMA, and Liz Andrews, Executive Administrator, Director’s Office. “We’re excited to host an installation of new Los Angeles work, for which Prager engaged a local Hollywood special effects company with Miller Lite’s generous investment.“