Miller Lite Dresses Times Square Billboards in Huge, Handwoven Ugly Sweaters

Thanks to the brewer, a giant ugly-holiday-sweater billboard, handwoven out of actual yarn, now adorns a corner of New York's Times Square. 

Agency TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles worked with Brooklyn artist London Kaye to crochet the cheery monstrosity, which features reindeer and, of course, beer (the iconic Miller Lite Steinie bottle that launched the brand in 1975). The video below captures some of the process, which took over three weeks of handweaving (tedious work, even by ad production standards).

Kaye's enthusiasm—the kind that might be cloying if the project were less oddball—shines through, bringing the whole thing to life in a way that's actually charming. 

Kaye, whose other yarn-bombing work includes a hilarious (if controversial) Wes Anderson-Stanley Kubrick mashup in Bushwick, describes the Miller job as her largest-ever piece. 

Still, the effort-to-impact ratio might fall short of the Brazilian warm clothing drive launched this fall by attaching smaller bits of illicit knitting to the figures on traffic signs. Another beer brand, Grolsch, also did some yarn-bombing as part of a broader street-art installation in London earlier this year. 

Regardless, for anyone who wants to experience Miller's willfully hideous billboard firsthand, it will be up at 49th Street and 7th Avenue through the month of December. 

Oh, and you can also buy real Miller Lite ugly Christmas sweaters, too.

CREDITS

Client: Miller Lite

Chief Marketing Officer, MillerCoors: David Kroll

Vice President, Brand Marketing: Gannon Jones

Senior Director, Miller Lite: Greg Butler

Director, Miller Lite: Cris Rivera

Manager of Strategic Alliances, Miller Lite: Kristen Fraas

Senior Associate Marketing Manager, Miller Lite: Sara Studebaker

Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles

Chief Creative Officer: Stephen Butler

Executive Creative Director: Fabio Costa

Creative Directors: Dave Horton, Matthew Woodhams-Roberts:

Copywriter: Vincent Largoza

Art Director: Jason Kim

Executive Project Manager: Alice Pavlisko

Chief Production Officer: Tanya LeSieur

Director of Production: Brian O'Rourke

Director of Print Production: Kacey Harahan

Executive Producer: Dena Moore

Print Producer: Jasmine Gomillion

Group Account Director: Chris Hunter

Account Director: Bryan Reugebrink

Account Supervisor: Tommy Cottam

Account Executive: Emily Peck

Senior Strategic Planner: Gary Klugman

Senior Social Strategist: Jessica Rudis

Director of Business Affairs: Linda Daubson

Business Affairs Manager: Dorn Reppert