Saatchi wins 20m Guinness Africa

Saatchi & Saatchi has beaten FCB International to the estimated 20m ad account for Guinness in Africa.

Saatchi & Saatchi has beaten FCB International to the estimated 20m ad account for Guinness in Africa.

Saatchi’s Cape Town office will handle through the line business in sub-Saharan Africa for Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.

The account was previously handled by Globespan, a London-based marketing services agency. It was put up for review in April and four agencies were shortlisted.

TBWA GGT Simons Palmer and Grey Advertising were dropped before the final round of pitches.

Celia Couchman, marketing director for Guinness Africa, says: “Guinness Africa has long enjoyed a reputation for creativity, innovation and social relevance in its marketing and we believe that Saatchi is best placed to help us continue developing exciting campaigns which will accelerate our growth in Africa.”

Africa is one of Guinness Brewing’s biggest markets, generating the highest sales of the brand outside the UK and Ireland. The company owns 22 breweries on the continent and distributes in 44 markets.

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is sold in bottles, at a strength of 7.5 per cent alcohol by volume.

“Guinness is the crown jewel account across Africa. This sort of business only comes up every ten years,” says Stephen Colegrave, Saatchi’s marketing director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Saatchi has already been working with a Guinness-owned brewery in Kenya and on a new Guinness product launched in Nigeria.