Team Saatchi lands £3m Plymouth Gin brief

Team Saatchi has been appointed to handle the &£3m advertising business for Plymouth Gin following a four-way pitch.

Vin & Spirit (V&S), which owns Plymouth Gin, wants to increase the brand’s global standing and Team Saatchi has been asked to develop a multimedia campaign that will run initially in the US and the UK from next year. It will be rolled out to other countries at a later date.

International marketing manager Jane Yelloy oversaw the pitch, which began in September (MW September 8). She says: “This new above-the-line campaign is going to propel the brand’s appeal to a far greater number of gin drinkers than has ever been possible in Plymouth’s 200-year history.”

Last year the brand invested &£1.5m in a new visitor centre at its Plymouth distillery. In the first year 12,000 paying visitors passed through the doors and 20,000 are expected this year.

Plymouth Gin is the second-largest gin brand in the UK behind market leader Gordon’s.

The brand was originally owned by Allied Domecq, which then sold it to a management team led by John Murphy, founder of branding consultancy Interbrand.

After relaunching Plymouth Gin and establishing it as a premium product, the management sold a 50 per cent stake to V&S for &£20m in 2000.

V&S, which also owns premium vodka brand Absolut, has since acquired the remainder.