A-B Drops Longtime Ad Agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

A-B InBev has dropped ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GSP), S.F., "after nearly 15 years with the brewer," according to Eleftheria Parpis of AD WEEK. GSP, an Omnicom Group subsidiary, "attributed the split to cost cutting at the InBev-owned client and a broader reduction of the brewer's agency roster." GSP co-Chair Jeff Goodby: "We're sad to lose the Anheuser-Busch business. … It's the end of an era." Parpis noted the shop's ads for A-B have included the Budweiser Lizards and the "Born A Donkey" Clydesdale Super Bowl spot (ADWEEK.com, 3/13). A-B President Dave Peacock said that the "goal of dropping agencies and being firmer with budgets is 'not to be punitive to agencies, but just to make sure that the spending we're doing is appropriate and has accountability and has a return to it.'" Peacock indicated that the brewer more than a year ago started mulling "how to manage the creative process more cost-effectively" (STLTODAY.com, 3/13).