Campari to launch £12m Euro review of Cinzano

Campari International plans to hold a European-wide advertising review for its newly-acquired Cinzano vermouth brand. The account is understood to be worth £12m.

The Monaco-based drinks giant last week bought Cinzano from Diageo for an undisclosed sum. The deal completes Diageo’s £225m sale of its non-core spirits brands.

Cinzano’s international advertising has been handled by J Walter Thompson since 1997, but Campari has indicated that this might change as it carries out a review of the brand’s future direction.

Cinzano has not run a major campaign in the UK for some years. Its most high profile TV ads aired in the Seventies and Eighties, and starred Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins.

Paulo Periggo, Campari’s European regional director, says: “We will be reviewing the communications strategy for the Cinzano brand internationally and we will then apply what we have decided on at a local level.

“It is too early to say what our precise plans are but we would expect to be be holding an advertising pitch.” Periggo adds that Campari plans to invest heavily in the marketing of Cinzano across Europe.

It is already the second-biggest selling vermouth brand in the world, behind Martini, and sells 4.5 million nine-litre cases a year.

Campari products use First Drinks as a distributor in the UK. It is part-owned by rival brand Martini, which has led to speculation that Campari will be seeking a new distributor for Cinzano.