The appointment extends iris' remit for the Brown Forman-owned drinks brand, which the agency has worked with in the UK and Ireland for the last three years.
Work for the brand is set to include experiential, digital, point-of-sale and on- and off-trade activity. Iris has also been tasked with developing an online relationship marketing programme that could be rolled out across the different markets.
The win comes after the appointment of Kerry Walsh Skelly to VP brand director of Southern Comfort for Europe and Africa last year and a subsequent global repositioning of the whiskey-based drink.
Marcus Denison-Smith, director at iris said: "This new win means we can get our teeth stuck into creating a solid, consistent brand identity. Our new brief is further confirmation that we are doing something right."
The brand began its UK relationship marketing programme last summer. TV and press work will continue to be produced by US agency Arnold, which will retain the creative lead on the account.
Walsh Skelly added: "The outstanding work iris has developed for us in the past for the UK and Ireland ensured it was on the tender list for this new appointment. We owed it to the brand to see what other agencies could offer Southern Comfort at a critical time in its growth in Europe and Africa, but the pitch process confirmed we have the right agency on board."
Last September, UK experiential agency The Lounge was appointed to promote the brand to the young adult market in the run-up to Mardi Gras.
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