Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters has fought its way on to the Anheuser-Busch
roster in the UK by scooping the pounds 3 million Michelob account from
BMP DDB. The win follows a two-month pitch against BMP and St Luke’s.
The business also includes Michelob’s new Golden Draft lager, which
launched in Scotland in November. BMP, which previously handled all A-B
advertising, is left with A-B’s main brand, Budweiser, and Bud Ice.
The agency will also retain the media buying for Michelob as part of its
centralised account.
Duckworth Finn is understood to have been given a brief to relaunch the
premier lager to take on bottled beers, such as Miller Pilsner, and it
will target Michelob at young, male drinkers.
Mick Finn, managing director of Duckworth Finn, said: ‘To be appointed
by the biggest brewer in the world is about as good as it gets.’
BMP took Michelob on to TV for the first time in March this year with a
surreal campaign proclaiming ‘the secret of happiness is to give
Michelob to others’. However, research into BMP’s television campaign
for Michelob was a trigger factor in the decision to review the account.
A-B put the business out to pitch in October.
BMP picked up the brands in March 1995 as part of an international
realignment when its US parent, DDB Needham, was appointed to handle the
business on a worldwide basis. As a consequence, BMP had to resign from
the Courage roster and give up its pounds 21 million centralised media
account.
Peter Jackson, the marketing director for Michelob, was said to have
been unhappy dealing with BMP as he had a close working relationship
with DMB&B, which held the account in the UK until the international
realignment.
