Diageo invests £5 million in Guinness ad campaign

Published: 29 August, 2008

Diageo GB is investing £5 million in a new campaign for Guinness.

Diageo GB is investing £5 million in a new campaign for Guinness.

The drinks giant, which yesterday reported that net sales of Guinness were up 3% in the UK and Ireland this year, will be supporting the latest 'Guinness Time' campaign with an on-pack promotion, in-store sampling and visibility, TV and print advertising and PR.

In July, Diageo announced a 12 month sponsorship of network film on Channel 4, featuring idents of Guinness and Baileys. The '17:59. It's Guinness Time' campaign makes reference to the year Arthur Guinness took over the brand's St James's Gate brewery.

The campaign will include an on-pack promotion which will run for six weeks across the larger 10, 12, 15 and 18 packs of Guinness Draught in a Can and the Guinness Original 12 pack. As part of the promotion, Guinness will partner with Lovefilm.com, the DVD postal rental company and film community website. When consumers sign up to a month's subscription with Lovefilm.com, they will receive a free Guinness Choice DVD box set. In addition to the on-pack promotion, '17:59. It's Guinness Time' point of sale material will also be available for retailers, as well as in-store sampling.

The new Guinness campaign also includes a TV advert, which will run from September for six weeks. The ad opens with a pint of surging Guinness, which then transforms into part of an acrobatic team who fly out of tubes as if propelled by compressed air and bounce against percussion and stringed instruments. Diageo says the advert uses the acrobats to represent the bubbles inside a pint of surging Guinness beer.

Richard Barlow, senior brand manager at Diageo GB, said: "The Channel 4 sponsorship has established the association between Guinness and the at home, evening drinking occasion. By running the 17:59 campaign, we are able to drive this association further.

"The campaign will combine the on-pack promotion, Lovefilm.com partnership, point of sale and TV advert to drive incremental volume and value to the beer category. Guinness shoppers spend 64% more on beers, wines and spirits than the average alcohol shopper, so it is essential that we find a way to drive them in-store, and the point of sale kits will help retailers to increase visibility of the Guinness packs.

"We believe that focusing on this evening drinking occasion is the ideal way of engaging new consumers into the Guinness brand."

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