Guinness: A Brief History of the Most Irish Beverage
Besides shamrocks, leprechauns and Colin Farrell, there is nothing as constitutionally Irish as Guinness. In honor of this past St. Patrick's Day, we offer you a hangover-soothing distraction with this month’s Marketing History Series.
Guinness is a brand that is celebrated for its genius storytelling and marketing. Their iconic advertising holds real estate in our minds and has turned something as simple as a fermented beverage into something to be revered, and something fiercely Irish.
Guinness Is Good For You
Guinness was founded in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland by Arthur Guinness. The company was already 63 years old when it published its first advertisement in 1794. The image below was published in “The Gentleman’s Magazine,” and is considered to be one of Guinness’ earliest ads.
The stout brand also didn’t solidify its look until the mid 19th century, and didn’t adopt its characteristic Celtic harp for its logo until 1862. Up until the 1920s, the company largely relied on word of mouth advertising to promote the beer.
As sales dropped in the 1920s, Guinness hired the agency S.H. Benson, to help them come up with new advertising materials. It wasn’t until 1929 that they published their first advertisement in a national newspaper, with the slogan “Guinness is Good for You.”
In the 20th century, many people actually did believe that Guinness had medicinal properties. Even until the 1950s, doctors prescribed Guinness to Irish mothers who just gave birth to replace lost iron.
Today, we know that Guinness probably isn’t that good for you, (remember doctors were used to push cigarette ads in the 40s and 50s), but it was a powerful headline that stuck with people and is now remembered nearly a century later.
My Goodness, My Guinness
John Gilroy, an art director working at Benson, started working with Guinness in 1930 and would illustrate the majority of Guinness’ ads for the next 30 years. In 1935 he came up with the My Goodness, My Guinness ads, after being inspired at the zoo. The zoo animal theme would be their most prominent advertisements until the 1950s.
Their first ever TV commercial was launched in 1955, bringing the poster you see above to life.
No Time Like Guinness Time
The dancing man was a major cultural hit, especially amongst the Irish, when Guinness released this ad in 1994. The man in the video, actor Joe McKinney, was asked to dance in anticipation around a room while the bartender poured him the perfect glass of Guinness.
The ad, called Anticipation, was part of the Guinness Time campaign, and couldn’t have been released at a better time for Ireland. Riverdance had just performed at Eurovision, and the Irish scored against the Italians in the World Cup. Guinness was capitalizing on Ireland’s success to show that from the arts to sports, and to their most famous libation, Ireland was a force to be reckoned with.
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
In 1998, released their Guinness Surfer ad as part of their “Good Things Come To Those Who Wait” campaign. Besides being one of the brand's most visually striking ads, it also spoke to the courage of the Irish spirit.
In the black and white ad, a group of sun-baked surfers wait for the perfect wave. As the wave approaches, a stampede of galloping white horses emerges from the water and ride beside the surfers.
It became a cultural phenomenon overnight. In 2002, it was voted the best ad of all time in a public vote on Channel 4.
Arthur’s Day
Guinness may be one of the only brands to have its own holiday. In September of 2009, Guinness announced Arthur’s Day to honor the company’s 250th year anniversary. Now every September 22nd at 17:59 (the year the company was founded), Irish people around the world drink Guinness to honor Arthur’s incredible legacy.
A St. Patty’s Day Message
Guinness’ deep saturation in Irish history makes it unequivocally tied to St. Patrick's Day. Guinness is a sponsor of St.Patty Day festivities around the world. However, in March 2020, the brand delivered a heart-felt message on St. Patty’s Day acknowledging the pandemic. The ad was so inspiring and showcased the resilience of the Guinness family and the Irish people in general.
At the end of the ad, Guinness announced that it will be donating $500,000 through their Guinness Gives Back fund, to help local Irish communities.
The Future Of Guinness
Guinness’ ability to innovate and connect with their consumers through incredible storytelling is bar none. The company is 260 years old, but when Arthur Guinness founded the company in 1759, he signed a 9000 year lease for the brewery. “we like to say that we're a brand that has 260 years of history behind us, but 9000 years of optimism ahead, so there will be plenty of great creative work, great creativity, greater agility, and great insight emerging from our campaigns over the coming periods,” said global brand director Grainne Wafer.
Today Guinness is brewed in over 50 countries and is available in 120 countries around the world. One of the allures of Guinness is its deep ties to Irish history and its profound nationalism. It is the most Irish drink in the world, but it invites all consumers to become a little Irish when enjoying a good pour of Guinness.
