Guinness moves from Saatchis to BBDO

Singapore - Diageo held a pitch recently for Guinness, where incumbent Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi lost its regional creative business to Omnicom's BBDO.

According to James Thompson, the marketing director for Diageo APAC who was also heading the pitch, "Guinness is a key premium beer brand for Diageo globally and regionally. We've grown the brand with Saatchi, which has supported us through many significant campaigns through the time they've been with us and look forward to working with BBDO as we tap into their expertise in the future."

The "Guinness 9-Ball Tour" helped Saatchis win the "Advertising Agency of the Year", "Campaign of the Year" and "Cable TV Campaign of the Year" accolades at last year's Hall of Fame Awards.

At press time, MD for BBDO Jean-Paul Burge declined to comment while Saatchi's CEO John Foley could not be reached for a statement.