Food & Beverage

The decrease in overall loose dollars among food and beverage accounts closely mirrored the year’s new-business drop, but the suds were swirling as SABMiller, Heineken, Beck’s and Corona all bid adieu to some partnerships, amounting to $935 million in billings available. That’s a 470 percent increase for beer accounts over 2005, during which only $200 million shook loose. McCann Worldgroup’s Weiss explained the uptick thus: “Beer consumption in the U.S. is declining. The category is still under pressure from spirits.”