Stella’s incumbent consumer adviser, Shine Communications, is repitching for the account, which takes effect from January.
Shine first won the account, worth £150,000 at the time, in March 2000, (PRWeek, 3 March 2000) when it was appointed by Stella’s then owner, Whitbread Beer Company.
Since the departure of Shine MD Michael Frohlich and associate director Graham Drew in July (PRWeek, 6 June), the account has been handled by current managing director Rachel Bell and account director Greg Jones.
Fifteen agencies have so far submitted credentials to Stella Artois owner Interbrew. The company will compile a long-list prior to the start of the pitch process.
Frohlich, who is now managing director of Chime Communications-backed venture Resonate (PRWeek, 25 July), refused to comment on whether he would be pitching for the Stella business.
Interbrew PR manager Stephanie Dawson said that the contract would run on a one-year, renewable basis and that the pitch was part of a wider consumer PR review.
Dawson added there would not be radical changes to the way the Belgian beer has been presented to consumers.
‘We are not the type of brand that aims for front-page tabloid coverage,’ she said.
