InBev rethinks Artois tie-ups as tennis deal ends

Premium lager brand Stella Artois' 30-year tie to the tennis tournament comes to a close this year following a change in strategy by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which will sell an umbrella sponsorship to support a range of activities rather than a single tournament. Overall, the body plans to reduce its commercial partners from 48 to 10.

An InBev spokeswoman confirmed that it was looking into future Artois sponsorship opportunities, but discussions were at an 'early stage'. In the interim, the brewer has pledged to support Stella Artois with increased TV and digital adspend.

In May last year, Stella Artois was replaced as the official beer

of the London Film Festival by Cobra after five years. At the time, the brand said it would focus on its Stella Screen open-air film screenings instead. It had previously ended its sponsorship of Channel 4 films after nearly 10 years. It was replaced by directory enquiries firm Yell.

InBev spends about £15m a year marketing its Artois brands, according to Nielsen.

This article was first published on Marketing