Guinness tipped to appoint Saatchi & Saatchi for direct and digital business

Guinness's digital and direct activation brief, in a pitch called two months ago, covered the Hong Kong and Shanghai regions. The Diageo-owned brand is said to have chosen Saatchi & Saatchi over BBDO and Ogilvy & Mather, with its incumbent a non-4A local agency. The winning agency declined to comment.

Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, the brand's global advertising agency, currently handles broader worldwide campaigns for the beverage.

In 2010, Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong handled above-the-line campaigns like the 'Kung Fu' TVC, a comical depiction of early Chinese cinema using the Guinness symbol as the power of strength.

However, Guinness has decided to discontinue advertising with TV spots because of their ineffectiveness in generating stout sales, according to an industry source close to the brand.

Saatchi & Saatchi is now expected to work on digital and direct activity across Hong Kong and Shanghai. Brand activation includes events at drinking venues such as pubs, gigs and shops, allowing consumers to develop a mouthfeel for the hard-to-down dry Irish stout, considered by many to be an acquired taste with lower drinkability.