SLEEMAN BREWING & PUBLICIS END RELATIONSHIP
By Adnews Staff
Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd. of Guelph, Ontario is ending its three-year relationship with its advertising agency Publicis SMW of Toronto. The announcement was made Friday by representatives of both Publicis and Sleeman. The decision to end the relationship was due to a client conflict with Montreal-based Molson Breweries. Serge Rancourt, president of Publicis Canada, explained that the relationship Molson had with Publicis was a concern when Publicis acquired SMW in 1998. Peter Amirault, spokesperson for Sleeman, also confirmed the concern. "Based upon the relationship Publicis has in Montreal with Molson Breweries, we determined that the conflict was becoming too difficult to manage." Sleeman will launch an agency search for the creative portion of its account. Media will continue to be handled by Publicis' media arm Optimedia Canada Inc. Sleeman's family of brands include: Okanagan Spring and Shaftebury in British Columbia and Alberta, Upper Canada in Ontario, and Seigneuriale in Quebec, in addition to its core Sleeman brands available across Canada.