Guinness sets its global agencies against each other for anniversary account

Guinness is understood to have asked its two global roster agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi and BBDO, to pitch against each other for a brief to promote the brand’s 250th anniversary, which it will celebrate at the end of 2009.

Guinness is understood to have asked its two global roster agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi and BBDO, to pitch against each other for a brief to promote the brand’s 250th anniversary, which it will celebrate at the end of 2009.

BBDO is the incumbent on the business in the UK, Ireland and the US, while Saatchi handles the account in Asia, South America and Africa. It is not known whether the anniversary activity, which will be the brewer’s main focus in the run up to the event, will trigger a consolidation pitch for the whole global account. The Diageo-owned brand consolidated its global digital account into Tribal DDB in the summer.

Guinness has just spent £10m on its latest campaign, “Tipping Point”, which was created by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO.