Heineken has kicked off the search for a new agency to handle its global ad account.
Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam handles the brand's global advertising, while Bates Singapore handles the business across Asia.
The lager brand has enlisted the services of Agency Insight, which has started approaching UK agencies.
A senior spokeswoman at Heineken's global headquarters in Amsterdam confirmed it was holding initial talks with the London offices of global networks with a view to expanding its global roster. She would not confirm whether W&K Amsterdam's position would be affected, but she said the agency was still working on projects for the brand.
Heineken has been looking at creating greater consistency across its global brand advertising in major territories. In February, it announced plans to increase its marketing spend by £70 million to combat a profits slump.
The chairman of Heineken, Thony Ruys, said the aim was to reinforce the brand in the US and to boost sales across Western Europe.
Recent campaigns created by W&K Amsterdam for the brand in the US have featured Hollywood stars including Brad Pitt and John Travolta.
News of the pitch comes just two weeks after W&K lost out to StrawberryFrog in a pitch to handle the lager brand's sponsorship of the Uefa Champions League.
W&K also lost some of its Nike EMEA business when Nitro was handed a European branding project. The agency has also struggled on Vodafone, losing lead status on the account to JWT. Its managing director of six years, David Miller, left W&K last month.
In the UK, the lager's £6 million advertising account is handled by Clemmow Hornby Inge. The spokeswoman said its business would not be affected by the wider review.
The UK has been an important territory for Heineken because it was the most recent country to roll out its premium-strength 5 per cent ABV lager.
Heineken 5% launched in 2002 with a campaign created by CHI. This was followed by an awareness campaign last year, which featured Ray Liotta berating a man who failed to finish his Heineken.
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