Modelo has hired WPP’s Grey as its agency record after a two-month agency review. The Mexican import—which has been one of the fastest-growing beers in the U.S.—had been working with WPP’s Cavalry, a Chicago-based shop that had held the account since 2018.

Constellation Brands, which controls Modelo and Corona in the U.S., stated that Grey would run Modelo from its flagship New York office, “while tapping into talent across key markets for Modelo, including Los Angeles, and utilizing its teams in Mexico to ensure brand authenticity remains paramount.”

“We are most excited to build a distinct model unique to Modelo, utilizing Grey’s bench of world-class talent and a borderless model across the key markets that reflect Modelo’s core audience,” Jim Sabia, executive VP and managing director for Constellation Brands' beer division, said in a statement.

Modelo Especial finished 2020 as the nation’s fifth-largest beer after shipments to bars and retail outlets grew 11.5%, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights. Constellation says it is now the second-largest beer brand in the U.S, citing year-to-date dollar sales data from IRI, which does not include bar and restaurant sales.

Grey is the third WPP agency Modelo has used in under 10 years. Ogilvy won the account in 2014 and then it was moved to Cavalry four years later. Cavalry, which still has other Constellation business, did not participate in the review. 

'Fighting spirit'

Modelo for years has run ads touting it as "brewed with a fighting spirit," while spotlighting inspirational stories of celebrities, sports stars and regular people. According to Sabia’s statement, the brew does not appear to be poised to shift too far from that messaging. “Grey’s mantra is ‘Famously Effective’ which encapsulates what the Fighting Spirit Campaign has achieved thus far and where we believe it can go as this brand continues to foster a strong emotional connection with an engaged audience,” he said.  

Justine Armour, chief creative officer at Grey New York, in a statement said: “To have the opportunity to work with Modelo—at this stage in its business journey, building on the brand’s existing success and helping position it to capitalize on the runway ahead—is as good as it gets for us at Grey, and we couldn’t be more excited.”  

The win for Grey follows another notable pickup earlier this year when it was named creative AOR for Mass Mutual.  WPP one year ago reorganized the agency by merging it with digital shop AKQA to create the broader AKQA Group network.