MillerCoors has named Interpublic Group of Cos.' Casanova Pendrill as the new agency of record for Miller Lite Hispanic marketing after parting ways with independent shop Lopez Negrete Communications in March.

"Winning with the Latino consumer is critical for Miller Lite and we are excited to welcome Casanova to the MillerCoors team and expect they'll hit the ground running in creating compelling campaigns that drive preference for the brand," Andy England, the brewer's executive VP and CMO, said in a statement.

Costa Mesa, Calif-based Casanova Pendrill, which is part of Interpublic Group's McCann Worldgroup network, ranks as the 16th-largest U.S. Hispanic ad agency with $13 million in revenue, according to the Ad Age DataCenter. The account shift means that Interpublic has recaptured some Miller Lite business after DraftFCB lost the general market account about a year ago when MillerCoors moved Lite to Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi, which still has the account. Media buying for all MillerCoors brands is at Interpublic's Initiative.

MillerCoors considered several agencies during the Hispanic review, including Publicis Groupe's Bromley, which handles Hispanic advertising for Coors Light. Bromley also handles MillerCoors' Hispanic media planning.

Like other big beer brands, Miller Lite has made Hispanics a priority because the demographic over-indexes on beer consumption.