MillerCoors Opens Review for Blue Moon, Closes Leinenkugel’s

By Erik Oster 

In a year of shifting agencies for big beer brands, MillerCoors announced yet another one, launching a creative review for Blue Moon just as one closes for its other faux-craft brand, Leinenkugel’s.

According to a memo signed by Scott Whitley, president and CEO of the brewer’s Tenth and Blake division (which handles “craft” and import brands), sent to distributors and obtained by AdAge, the brand “selected a small group of agencies to compete for the Blue Moon above-the-line work and expect to award this business by the end of September.” Incumbent agency Integer Group, meanwhile, “will refocus on retail marketing for Blue Moon.” According to Kantar Media, MillerCoors spent $23.4 million in measured media on the brand last year. 

MillerCoors also announced that it has awarded creative duties for its Leinenkugel’s brand to San Francisco-based agency Venables Bell & Partners after confirming it was in the midst of a review for the brand earlier this month. The company cited the agency’s “track record of accelerating the growth of high-potential brands, such as Audi and Google” in the aforementioned memo. According to Kantar Media, MillerCoors spent $13.6 million on measured media for Leinenkugel’s last year. New work for both brands is expected some time next year. 

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Earlier this month MillerCoors also announced that it was splitting with Chicago agency Cavalry and launching a creative review for Coors, its largest brand. This year also saw Heineken dropping W+K and selecting Publicis Worldwide as its “lead global advertising partner” and Bud Light jumping from BBDO to W+K at the beginning of July.

For the record, Blue Moon still tastes like shit whether you add the orange or not.

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