But while Guinness is one of the most recognizable beer brands in the world, trends such as the craft beer boom in the early 2000s and the rising popularity of premium lager sometimes left stout on the shelf.
“[Guinness] was a strong brand, but growth was stagnant,” MacDonald said.
When MacDonald, a veteran Diageo marketer, moved to the Guinness team in 2020, she saw an opportunity to dust off the pint glass and recruit stout skeptics. Top of her agenda was to begin speaking to an overlooked group in the beer category: women.
“Beer overall is still very male-skewed, and Guinness was skewed even more male,” she said.
When she joined the brand, Guinness was still buying media primarily against a male audience. MacDonald changed that immediately, opening up its media buying to wider demographics.
Guinness also overhauled the gender representation in its ads. Its summer commercial shows a friendship group of mixed genders enjoying the beverage. The brand’s rugby ads have also put female players in the spotlight after it became the first official partner of the Women’s Six Nations in 2019.
Rise of the ‘Guinnfluencer’
Besides women, Guinness has also turned more toward younger audiences.
The importance of young people to the business became evident during recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. When pubs reopened in the U.K. after lockdown, “it was younger drinkers going back first and in the largest numbers,” said MacDonald.
In May 2021, Guinness launched “Welcome Back,” which playfully highlighted everyday objects and sights, from a white cat lounging on a barrel to seagulls perched on a chimney, that resemble the distinct black and white pint.
This lookalikes concept has continued in subsequent campaigns, such as a summertime ad of a Guinness surfboard.
