Lowe Worldwide has won the pan-European ad account for Heineken International's Strongbow Gold.

It picked up the business after a pitch against three undisclosed agency networks. Steven Greaves, the international cider marketing manager at Heineken, handled the process.Lowe will now be responsible for launching the brand across Europe, before a potential international roll-out later in the year.

The brief will not cover the UK, where St Luke's will continue to handle the Strongbow account. The Gold variant will not be sold in the UK.

Strongbow introduced its Gold branding in 2007 and has already launched the product in France, Germany and Spain, but it has not been given a significant marketing push.Lowe will not only be briefed to introduce the brand into markets where cider is already popular, but will also be required to launch the category in many regions where it is not yet available.

Michael Wall, the chief executive of Lowe Worldwide, said: "Strongbow is the largest cider brand in the world, mainly driven by the UK at the moment. We look forward to the challenge of working with Heineken International to help them grow the brand across the rest of Europe. Heineken understands creativity and has major ambitions for Strongbow Gold."