More Bacardi for Y&R

Young & Rubicam has added global creative duties on Bacardi Flavors and Bacardi Gold Rum after a review, the spirits company confirmed today.

Y&R, a WPP Group agency, already handled global creative duties on Bacardi Superior Rum at its London office. That office, known as Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, also will lead the new assignments.

“Last month, Bacardi conducted a review of future needs. We are pleased to say that it resulted in the decision to give Y&R the responsibility for other international rums,” said Stella David, global chief marketing officer at Bacardi.

Bacardi did not say which other agencies it considered for the business.

Global spending figures were not immediately available. In the U.S. alone last year, Bacardi spent $6 million in major measured media on its Flavors line and less than $1 million on its Gold Rum line (not including the Internet), according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Domestic major media spending on Superior Rum totaled $12 million last year, per Nielsen.

“Bacardi rums are category leaders and we are committed and passionate about their continued high-growth potential,” said Y&R worldwide CEO Hamish McLennan, in a statement.

Previously, Interpublic Group’s Momentum in New York handled project work on Flavors in select regions, such as the U.S and Europe. [Momentum is a Bacardi roster shop that handles the Martini brand.] It was not immediately clear which agency advertised Gold Rum. A Bacardi representative could not be reached.

Y&R landed the Bacardi Superior Rum account in December 2005 after a review in which Interpublic Group’s McCann Erickson, Publicis Groupe’s Fallon and independent davidandgoliath were the other finalists.