Leader... Two iconic beer brands face different challenges

First came Asia-Pacific Breweries, which chose Publicis to run its Heineken brand in Singapore, ending a 15-year relationship with Bates141.

Diageo followed, handing regional creative responsibility for Guinness to BBDO ahead of long-time servant Saatchi & Saatchi.

For the winning agencies, the tasks ahead of them couldn’t be more different. In Heineken, Publicis inherits a brand popular with Singaporean drinkers which has enjoyed year-on-year sales increases for 10 years.

The Dutch beer trades handsomely off its premium, international positioning and its youthful associations with music. It has even outperformed its owner’s flagship beer brand, Tiger. Publicis, under regional CEO Matthew Godfrey will hope that it can loosen Leo Burnett’s grip on Heineken regionally - particularly in Vietnam.

BBDO faces a much taller order with Guinness. Sales have been sluggish, and while Saatchis has done a good job of keeping the brand healthy, much of that work has been undone by Guinness’s core drinkers - old men who guzzle cans of the black stuff over breakfast. Guinness needs to shrug off a perception that it is a heavy, medicinal ‘vitamin beer’ and find ways to attract younger drinkers.

In one respect, however, both brands face the same challenge. Their biggest competitor comes from outside the category as young Asians put down their pints in favour of lighter tipples of mixed spirits.