INTERNATIONAL NEWS: BBH in Gordon's Gin win

Bartle Bogle Hegarty has broken Leo Burnett's 12-year hold on the Gordon's Gin business with a brief to extend the brand's leading share of the UK market. United Distillers & Vintners confirmed that BBH would take over the creative work on the £3 million (about US$4.2 million) account after a pitch against the incumbent shop. The decision leaves Burnett with no other UDV business in the UK. Media buying did not form part of the review and will continue to be handled through Carat. Syl Saller, UDV's marketing director, insisted that there was no dissatisfaction with Burnett's performance and that the decision to end "our long and fruitful partnership" had been difficult. With more than 40 per cent of the UK market, Gordon's is the country's best-known gin brand and has a marketing budget that outstrips all of its rivals. However, it is under pressure from supermarkets' own-label gins. For BBH, the assignment reinforces its relationship with UDV, for whom it already handles Johnnie Walker whisky. For some time, UDV has been attempting to strike a delicate balance in its advertising, which aims to recruit drinkers aged between 25 and 34 - who typically favour wine or beer - without alienating its core market of middle-aged drinkers. Last year, younger drinkers were the target of a TV and cinema campaign featuring a denim-clad pool player and the line: "Gordon's as experienced by a hustler." Meanwhile, sponsorship has been used to appeal to wealthier consumers, aged 45 and over, via support of the National Trust and a series of gardening events, including sponsorship of a display at the Chelsea Flower Show. UDV has been rationalising its agency roster, dropping Lowe Lintas & Partners, to leave Burnett and J. Walter Thompson as its two global networks. JWT handles £127 million worth of worldwide advertising for Smirnoff, Bailey's, Malibu and Sheridan's.

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