Gilbey Canada’s $2-million Smirnoff vodka account has landed back at Cossette Communication-Marketing, Toronto after a year’s hiatus.
The short-list for the review, which was launched this spring, included incumbent Ambrose Carr Linton Kelly and Vickers & Benson, both of Toronto, along with Taxi, of Montreal.
Cossette had handled Smirnoff for about six years when a review a year ago put the account in the lap of aclk.
Cossette continued to take care of the rest of the Gilbey business, as well as French-language advertising for Smirnoff.
aclk did not have a chance to do any work for its new client because of an international realignment of Smirnoff brand by Gilbey’s London-based parent company, International Distillers & Vintners.
Pierre Smirnoff Co.
Last fall, International Distillers set up Pierre Smirnoff Co. in the u.s. to market the vodka worldwide.
This resulted in the decision to have a single international marketing position and a search for an international agency.
Lowe Partners, of the u.k. and the u.s., has recently been hired as the international agency.
Cossette will be creating the Canadian version of the international Smirnoff position, and Stephen Moss, vice-president of marketing for Toronto-based Gilbey, says that for each campaign he will have the option to use either Canadian or international creative.
Some Cossette creative could possibly be used internationally.
Media planning will be handled by Cossette, with placement by Harrison Young Pesonen & Newell.
