BBH to repitch for 40m Baileys global ad account

Diageo is reviewing the £40m Baileys global advertising business, which is handled by Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH).

It is understood the agency is repitching against sister roster agency JWT, which lost the account to BBH five years ago. The pitch will be led by the Baileys global brand director Sharon Keith.

The pitch will further weaken BBH’s grip on the Diageo roster. Johnnie Walker is the only brand that BBH continues to work on after it ended its 19-month relationship with Smirnoff Ice in 2006. The drinks giant consolidated the £20m Smir-noff business at JWT, allowing BBH to work with rival Inbev.

The Baileys business, including the flagship Baileys Irish cream liqueur brand, is worth an estimated £7m in the UK.

A spokeswoman for Baileys says: “We can confirm we are undertaking a review of Baileys global advertising, this is in line with standard Diageo review processes. We are talking to a number of agencies, including BBH, the incumbent agency.”

The latest AC Nielsen figures show an increase in value sales of Baileys of 10% when compared to the category at 2%. Volume sales are also up 19%.