Leith adds £5m Lite brief to Coors

The Leith Agency has added Coors Lite to its £26m portfolio of Coors Brewers’ accounts.

The Leith Agency has added Coors Lite to its &£26m portfolio of Coors Brewers’ accounts.

The Edinburgh-based agency will work on a national relaunch for the premium beer brand after winning the account – believed to be worth &£5m – in a pitch against St Luke’s. The pitch was overseen by director of marketing premium beers David Preston.

The relaunch will involve Coors Lite being branded Coors Fine Lite Beer to help counter perceptions that the “Lite” refers to a lower alcohol content rather than the taste of the beer. The advertising is expected to take a reverential tone towards the brand rather than the humorous approach prevalent in UK beer advertising.

The FCB network handles the brand’s global advertising outside the UK. Banks Hoggins O’Shea/FCB worked on two Coors Lite test campaigns in Ireland and Scotland.

The Leith Agency handled rival brewer Interbrew’s Tennents brands until December last year but was forced to give up the account after winning the &£8m Coors Brewers’ accounts for Worthington’s, Caffrey’s and Reef (MW August 22, 2002). It already handled Carling and Grolsch. Leith breakaway Newhaven now has the Tennent’s business.

Coors Brewers is in the process of recruiting a brand director for Coors, Caffrey’s and Speciality Beers, who will report to Preston.