• Advertising Age, Friday, July 3, 2009 11:45 AM

Corona marketer Crown Imports is seeking a media-only agency to handle buying and planning for its brand portfolio, which includes Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial and Pacifico beer. Spending is an estimated $80 million, and media chores had previously been handled by Cramer-Krasselt.

The shift from single agencies handling creative and media in tandem to using separate shops for both functions is a bit counterintuitive at a time when most marketers are extolling the virtues of integration. However, Crown may feel that its struggles to get Corona Extra, its most important brand, growing again merit a new approach.

The move is the second agency shift since Crown CMO Jim Sabia, a longtime Coors executive, joined the company in January. Corona Extra is experiencing its third straight year of sales declines following 16 years of uninterrupted growth. Crown's minor brands -- Modelo Especial, Pacifico and Corona Light -- have seen their sales grow lately.

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