Freixenet appoints Fold7 to UK ad account

Freixenet, the UK's best-selling sparkling wine brand, has appointed Fold7 to handle its UK advertising account.

The agency won the creative account following a competitive pitch against Publicis, Kindred and Inferno. Creativebrief handled the review, which began in November.

Leo Burnett has previously handled the brand’s UK creative, but in the past few years it has worked with Spanish agencies including JWT Barcelona, which was behind the brand’s new global positioning in 2010.

The ads used the straplines "Wonderfully unexpected" and "Barcelona since 1861" to highlight the brand’s Mediterranean heritage, and featured people drinking Freixenet at various bohemian parties.

Freixenet is known in Spain for its annual Christmas TV campaign that stars a different celebrity each year. The singer Shakira and the actors Antonio Banderas and Sharon Stone have all featured in seasonal spots for the wine-maker.

In the UK, Freixenet’s advertising has mostly focused on press ads.

Freixenet is the top-selling sparkling wine brand in the off-trade, according to Mintel data, with sales of £34 million in 2011 and a 9% market share.