Miller Lite: Ken Jeong

It's Ken Jeong! Wait, who?

Ah, a good ole celebrity endorsement  — at least I assume that is what this is meant to be because I had no idea whom Ken Jeong was before this ad. For those who don't know Mr. Jeong, he is, as he put it, "That guy from that thing."

I guess either I'm just hopelessly out of touch with kids these days, or Miller Lite couldn't find anyone more recognizable. 

Celebrity not included.

So anyway, the ad asks us to consider the following question: What would your drinking experience be like if you had an obnoxious celebrity following you around?

I think Miller Lite may be on to something here but not in the way they intended. The ad seems to think that the experience would be "super fly" or "totally radical" — or whatever the young folk say nowadays — but after a couple seconds I was just wishing they would put their pet celebrity back in the box. 

If I was stuck with Mr. Jeong for an extended period of time I probably would take up drinking just to throw my consciousness into the blessed relief of oblivion. In that way, yeah, I could see how this hypothetical scenario could increase alcohol sales. Well played, Miller Lite. Too bad for you I can't stand beer.

Rent-A-Minority.

Besides the obnoxiousness of their spokesman, something else about this ad bothered me. Look at how the group just carts out a minority to be seen with them in public. Look at how just as quickly as they pulled him out, they throw him aside once they are free to be who they are in the dark. 

This isn't a straight case of it's-cool-my-friends-are-black syndrome as Mr. Jeong is Asian, but the principle still stands. It is also an unusual case of the token minority because another minority seems to be in on the scheme. 

I wonder if the black group member was put back in his box too once the ad ended.