Swedish Match appoints Mellors Reay for UK strike

Tobacco company Swedish Match has appointed Mellors Reay & Partners as its first above-the-line advertising agency in the UK.

Tobacco company Swedish Match has appointed Mellors Reay & Partners as its first above-the-line advertising agency in the UK.

Mellors Reay will manage a 3.5m campaign for smoking-related products such as Swan Vesta matches, lighters and small cigars or cigarillos.

“We want to build on our success in cigars,” says a Swedish Match spokeswoman.

Swedish Match sells a range of small cigars in the UK under the Willem II and Wilde brand names.

The Swedish tobacco company does not sell cigarettes in the UK and is understood to have no plans to do so. A tobacco advertising ban is likely to be imposed within the next two years, while a Department of Health White Paper in the autumn is expected to impose tighter restrictions on public smoking.

Swedish Match last month handed an estimated 20m international account to Publicis (MW 26 March). The agency will handle the launch of the Blend cigarette brand in Russia and China, as well as its relaunch in Sweden.

Marketing consultancy CCB will continue to work on UK sales promotion projects for Swedish Match.