Miller Lite fires back at Bud Light

Miller Lite is invading Bud Light’s “Dilly Dilly” medieval kingdom with two attack ads set to air during March Madness broadcasts.

The latest salvo in the escalating Corn Syrup War is a mock behind-the scenes look at the Bud Light Super Bowl ads, where the costumed knights and crew crack open cans of Miller Lite when the fantasy world filming is over.

The new tag line is: In the real world more taste is what matters.

“We’re using their Dilly Dilly world as a foil,” said Anup Shah, vice president for the Miller brands at Chicago-based Millercoors. “This is simply a way to pivot the message back from corn syrup to our message: more taste, less calories. We feel good about the spots.”

Bud Light started the Corn Syrup War with an ad during last month’s Super Bowl TV broadcast, where the mythical king leads a quest to return corn syrup mistakenly delivered to his castle to Miller Lite and Coors Light.

“We don’t brew Bud Light with corn syrup,” the king proclaims during the spot.

In response, Millercoors pulled out of a long-planned industry advertising collaboration with Bud Light brewer Anheuser-busch and defended its use of corn syrup in the brewing process in full-page ads and on social media.

Millercoors has even gone so far as to sue AnheuserBusch, saying its rival wants to “frighten” people away from Miller Lite and Coors Light by claiming those beers have corn syrup.

Millercoors says Anheuser-busch is preying on health-conscious consumers who have negative connotations of corn syrup, sometimes confusing it with the high-fructose corn syrup in sodas. Millercoors wants a judge to order Anheuser-busch to stop the ads.

While it awaits a ruling, Millercoors is going on the offensive with the new TV campaign, which debuted Thursday. The spots will be in heavy rotation during March Madness broadcasts, Shah said.

For its part, AnheuserBusch is not backing down. The beer maker posted a response video online Wednesday featuring its fictional king pontificating on the new Miller Lite attack ads.

“Look, if you’re this set on imitating our kingdom may I suggest also imitating us by putting an ingredients label on your packaging,” the king says in the spot, “Imitation,” which will also air on TV.