SYDNEY: Bacardi Lion has appointed BMF and ZenithOptimedia to its portfolio of brands including Bacardi, 42 Below Vodka, Bombay Sapphire and McKenna Bourbon, following a pitch.
AdNews first revealed the pitch in May, which was understood to be aimed at consolidating the large number of agencies working on various brands in the Bacardi Lion portfolio.
The pitch list is understood to have included all of these agencies: Host, Universal McCann, The Campaign Palace, Naked, BMF (which worked on Lion Nathan) and ZenithOptimedia. The pitch brief centred on Bacardi Lion’s Bombay Sapphire brand, sources said.
Colin Rochester, managing director of Bacardi Lion, said: “As a growing business, we are confident that the skills, experience and capabilities of both ZenithOptimedia and BMF will best suit our needs across the differing requirements of brands within our portfolio.”
In October 2008, Lion Nathan’s McKenna Bourbon and Inner Circle Rum spirit brands were integrated into Bacardi Lion, which was formed as a joint venture between Australasian brewer Lion Nathan and global spirits company Bacardi Martini in 2003.
In January 2009, existing portfolio brand De Kuyper added premium liqueurs – including Triple Sec and Blue Caracao – to its range of Schnapps. In March, Grand Marnier became the latest addition to the business.
Bacardi Lion invested about $3 million in main media advertising across its brand portfolio in the year ending January 2009, according to Nielsen AIS.
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