- Andrew McMains

Belvedere Vodka has hired Arnell to handle U.S. creative duties on its brand after a review, the client has confirmed. Account billings are estimated at $15 million.

Sources previously identified the other contenders as the New York offices of Havas Euro RSCG, Cossette Inc.'s Cossette and the incumbent, WPP Group's
Berlin Cameron United.

Agency presentations took place last month and sources said that in the end, the client narrowed its choices to Berlin and Arnell, an Omnicom Group shop in New York.

Key decision-makers in the process included senior vice president of marketing Jason Lundy and Charles Gibb, president of Millennium Imports, the vodka and rum division of Belvedere parent company LVMH in New York.

Gibb confirmed the selection, citing a platform of interesting ideas that Arnell presented to grow the brand. The new agency's work will span both traditional and non-traditional media, he added.

"Social media is key obviously," Gibb said. "The Web is vital."

Media duties were not in play and remain at Havas' MPG in New York. Roth Associates in New York helped manage the search, which began in August.

Berlin Cameron, which remains on the LVMH roster with creative duties on Hennessy's base brand, had handled Belvedere for about two years.