Lowe forced to pitch for 4% Stella business

Inbev is asking Lowe London, the incumbent agency for Stella Artois, to pitch for the advertising for its new 4% lager variant. It has asked an undisclosed agency to pitch for the account.

It is thought that the Lowe will continue to handle the main Stella brand globally and in the UK. The work for the new launch is due next month

Marketing Week exclusively revealed the launch of the 4% lager last month (MW June 19). Inbev is understood to be keen to counteract the lager-lout image of Stella, and move away from the “wife beater” label that has been associated with the lager for years. It is thought that, if successful, the lower-strength version will become the flagship variant.

The brewer recently scrapped the “Reassuringly expensive” strapline, launched in 1982 to position Stella as a premium brand, and this year dropped its sponsorship of the Artois Championships after 30 years of backing the Queen’s Club event.