The global drinks giant has shortlisted Johnny Fearless, the agency launched in February by the former Grey managing partner Neil Hughston, VCCP, Iris and one other agency, thought to be based in Spain, to pitch for the business,
Initial meetings have already been conducted, with pitches due to take place towards the end of the month.
The successful agency will be responsible for handling integrated advertising campaigns for Diageo’s range of pre-prepared cocktails, which incorporates Smirnoff Mojito, Smirnoff Cosmopolitan, Jose Cuervo Margarita and J&B Manhattan.
Diageo introduced the cocktails, which are ready to serve straight from the bottle, in 2009, and after an initial soft launch is preparing rollout the products on a greater scale.
The products aim to make Diageo-based cocktails more accessible to drinkers, eliminating the need to acquire and mix all the different ingredients in order to create the right blend.
Upcoming campaigns will aim to introduce the concept of drinking cocktails at home, in the same manner that the public might consume beer and wine.
The Diageo cocktails are sold in 700ml bottles and are available in the UK in supermarkets, online and in some off-licenses.
Diageo’s current roster includes JWT, which handles Smirnoff; Mother, which works on Pimms; Isobel, which has created ads for its ready-made Gordon’s Gin & Tonic and Smirnoff Vodka & Cola cans; and Albion, which handles Jose Cuervo.
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