BURNETT GETS BOOZE BUSINESS
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Leo Burnett Company will get a shot at creating global advertising for United Distillers' Johnnie Walker scotch whiskey, Canadian marketing vice-president Hasan Imam told Adnews this week. The London office of Leo Burnett was hired last week to handle worldwide advertising for Johnnie Walker. The agency's different offices will create local advertising for the brand, and the best will be used worldwide, Imam said. The account was previously split among six agencies. Burnett had Johnnie Walker in Australia, Latin America and Lebanon. In Canada, United Distillers recently turned over its account to Communiqué, a Toronto-based agency which is opening a Montreal office to service the account. Blouin Coulombe Dubé Thompson of Montreal was handling local brands for United and Leo Burnett had national brands. North American advertising for Johnnie Walker came from the agency that lost the business to Burnett in the U.S. with the global consolidation, Avrett, Free & Ginsberg of New York. Burnett won the account in a six-month competition with other United Distillers agencies: McCann-Erickson Worldwide, J. Walter Thompson, Tokyu and WCRS. United Distllers is a unit of Guiness PLC of London.