MUMBAI: Bira 91 has appointed OMD India as its media partner following a competitive market review. The Indian craft beer brand that has gone global will now leverage the marketing performance company’s sophisticated data strategies to engage consumers across both offline and online channels. The appointment is effective immediately and the account will be serviced out of OMD’s Gurugram office.

Launched in 2015 by B9 Beverages, Bira 91 quickly gained favour among urban millennials because of its variety of flavours, bold identity and strong draft network. The brand has already experienced significant growth, having gone global in 2017 when it launched in New York City, followed by a wider expansion into Asia, launching in Singapore in 2018. In less than three years since its launch, Bira 91 is among the top 25 craft beer brands in the world (by sales volume) and the fastest growing beer brand in the world.

Commenting on the partnership, Bira 91 VP marketing Deepak Sinha said, “OMD’s media expertise, ideas and innovative approach align to our vision of putting the consumer at the core of all our activities. As we continue to innovate to provide a fresh consumer experience through our products in India and globally, we required a partner who could help us deliver against this ambition. We’re confident that the OMD team will help us tell our story as we expand, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”

OMD India CEO Priti Murthy added, "This is a truly exciting partnership for us because it allows us the freedom to be as innovative as we can – in terms of the way we think, our strategy and approach, as well as our execution. We look forward to collaborating with the team on producing some of our most innovative work yet, in order to firmly position and grow the brand.”