Heineken has consolidated global planning and buying at Starcom MediaVest, which won the account in review with co-finalist Mindshare. The appointment, effective 7/1, follows the brewer’s decision last year to review media for its brands worldwide and consolidate to one media agency. The move follows appointing Wieden + Kennedy as global creative agency for the flagship Heineken brand.
SMG already works with Heineken across a number of important regions and is currently the company’s biggest media agency, managing more than half of its total global media spend. In the first phase, the agency will focus on the brand’s top 15 media spending markets, which represent 85% of its media investments. They include USA, Spain, UK, Russia, Italy, Poland, Mexico, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Brazil, Finland and Nigeria.
This will be followed in a second phase by the remaining markets. The newly appointed agency’s role will be to enhance the effectiveness of the company’s world-class brand building work, while fully leveraging the company’s increased buying power.
Said Alexis Nasard, Heineken Chief Commercial Officer: “This move is in line with our strategy to foster thought-leadership in the increasingly complex media world, leveraging the potential of both new and classical media, while maximising the proportion of our marketing spend which is consumer-facing. We are confident that this partnership will support Heineken’s broader strategy to drive top-line growth and market share, by stimulating consumer engagement and igniting the conversation around our brands.”
Heineken USA brands include Heineken and Heineken Light, Dos Equis, Amstel, Tecate and Newcastle Brown Ale.
