Joshua wins Cobra Beer's £3m advertising account

by Jules Grant,, Brand Republic 10-Mar-04, 10:30

LONDON - Cobra Beer, the premium lager brand, has handed Grey Global Group's Joshua its £3m advertising business after a three-way pitch.

Joshua won the account after a shootout against M&C Saatchi's Lida and Ogilvy & Mather.

Mother was also on the original shortlist but it is understood that it later decided not to pitch.

Team Saatchi resigned the creative account in July last year because of client conflict with Carlberg-Tetley, a client of parent company Saatchi & Saatchi.

Joshua has been briefed to establish Cobra as a mainstream lager brand and will develop an above-the-line branding and advertising campaign. The appointment will also include activity below the line.

Karan Bilimoria, founder and chief executive of Cobra, said: "We felt at home with the collaborative way Joshua works, which we belive will deliver the fabulous, innovative advertising our brand deserves."

Cobra Beer is one of the fastest-growing beer brands in the UK and increasingly competitive in the Indian restaurant sector, with a current retail turnover of around £56.9m. It has been exported to more than 30 countries worldwide and is available in more than 5,000 Indian restaurants and in major supermarkets and off-licences in the UK.

It launched its first TV advertising campaign at the end of last year on E4, which ran with the strapline "Cobra Bottled Beer. Ingenious because less gaseous".

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum here.