Lowe resigns Stella Artois account after 26 years

by Noel Bussey, Campaign 15-Aug-08, 11:20

LONDON - InBev is looking for a new agency to handle its global Stella Artois account, following news that Lowe has resigned the business after 26 years.

View the best Stella ads by Lowe

The news marks the conclusion of heated conversations this week following InBev's decision to hand the launch brief for its new 4 per cent variant to Mother.

The decision by Lowe sees the end of one of the most fruitful partnerships in advertising history.

Stella Artois' "reassuringly expensive" endline was first conceived in 1981, before Frank Lowe quit previous incumbent Collett Dickinson Pearce to set up his own agency.

The strategy has subsequently given rise to such classics as the Jean de Florette-inspired series of commercials.

Comments

Richard Hayter - 15/08/2008

Wow. That's a big one. If Mother picks up the whole account it will be huge for them. But they're not known for handling 'premium' brands, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

David Pearce - 15/08/2008

'And what of the woman who stands be her fella, despite all the bruises brought on by the stella.'

Anton Reyniers - 15/08/2008

Mother is doing a good job with Boots and seem to have taken No 7 to a higher (premium) place. Agreed it will be interesting to see what they do differently

Roger OThornhill - 15/08/2008

Has Lowe actually got anything left to resign? All they've done for a while now is the odd poster. Hasn't Inbev long since farmed the bulk of the work out to other agencies?

Marc Schneider - 15/08/2008

dSAD

Leigh Baker - 16/08/2008

blah blah blah

Juan Scott - 16/08/2008

My favourite beer is that.

Duncan James - 17/08/2008

Mother? Red Brick Road more like . . . .

John Billett - 17/08/2008

The "good folk" at In Bev have been consistently running this one time great brand into the dump bin over several years with thier misguided discounted pricing and no added brand value marketing. They have chucked out tennis, launch a nonsense 4% brand substitue and now drop the one agency that understood the brand. In Bev are my #1 nomination for the "consistent, sustained marketing ineffectivenss award" and the marketing team should pick up their redundancy notices