Since then, Guinness has leaned heavily on social media to fuel conversation and embraced what MacDonald calls the “Guinnfluencer.” This community of diehard fans has helped shape the brand’s creative strategy.
Campaigns such as the lookalikes or “Holding Out for a Zero,” which featured singing faces in frothy pints, were inspired by observations made on social media, MacDonald added.
“[The team at AMV BBDO] pointed out that people identify as Guinness drinkers and use it as a personality definer,” she said. “These advocates for the brand have an audience [on social platforms] that’s really helping us. It means all of that passion is more widely shared.”
Bringing (all) people together
One of the latest growth opportunities for Guinness comes from people who drink little or no alcohol.
Last year on St. Patrick’s Day, one of the biggest days for Guinness, the brand made the unconventional decision to run a responsible drinking campaign promoting its non-alcoholic brew. The campaign took over Ireland during the festivities, including rebranding iconic drinking establishments in Dublin, Galway, Cork and Belfast as Guinness 0.0 pubs.
An ad for the 0.0 beverage is also part of its summer campaign.
