Canada: ZiG has been selected as the new Canadian advertising agency for the Molson Canadian brand, the brewery announced on November 1. The Toronto-based agency was selected from a short-list of four firms in consideration for the creative and brand-building assignment for Molson's flagship brand. That list included incumbent Bensimon Byrne, Cossette and Taxi.

"All four firms that presented ideas to us showed a tremendous understanding of the beer industry in Canada and all brought very innovative thinking to how they would continue to build the Molson Canadian brand," said Kevin Boyce, President and Chief Operating Officer, Molson North America. "We ultimately chose ZiG based on the quality of their ideas, their passion for our business and their proven ability and experience in reaching a similar target market with brand-building advertising that delivers increased brand equity and grows sales."

The selection panel consisted of Dan O'Neill, President and Chief Executive Officer, Molson Inc.; Kevin Boyce, President and Chief Operating Officer, Molson North America; Les Hine, Chief Marketing Officer, Molson Canada; and Rob Assimakopoulos, Vice President, Marketing, Molson Canadian, Molson Canada. "We would also like to offer our deep appreciation to every agency in the process for the time and resources they committed to this pitch. In particular, we would like to offer a special word of thanks and best wishes to Bensimon Byrne for their partnership over the last 5 years," added Boyce. The value of the creative assignment and the brand's total marketing budget are confidential. Molson's other marketing-services agencies will not be affected by this review.

Molson Inc. is one of the world's largest brewers of quality beer with operations in Canada, Brazil and the United States. A global brewer with $3.5 billion in gross annual sales, Molson traces its roots back to 1786 making it North America's oldest beer brand. Committed to brewing excellence, Molson combines the finest natural ingredients with the highest standard of quality to produce an award-winning portfolio of beers including Molson Canadian, Molson Export, Molson Dry, Rickard's, Kaiser and A Marca Bavaria.