How Guinness put the fun into alcohol-free marketing for St. Patrick’s Day
By reframing the discussion around drinking culture, Guinness drove sales of its alcohol-free beer and changed perceptions of Ireland’s national day.
St. Patrick’s Day is a day of great celebration in Ireland and around the world, but for some it had become a day of shame. Amid concerns about excessive drinking, Guinness planned a responsible drinking campaign that would put its alcohol-free beer -Guinness 0.0 – front and centre.
Alongside its moderation message, Guinness wanted to support the on-trade sector, encourage enjoyment and avoid lecturing the public. Working with creative agency AMV BBDO, the drinks giant launched a campaign to ‘Make it a St. Patrick’s Day to Remember’.
Avoiding the sombre tone of other brands’ non-alcoholic advertising, Guinness adopted a more playful approach which harnessed its distinctive visual assets. This included a humorous TV spot where the famous creamy head of the Guinness pint came to life with singing faces.
Advertising takeovers for Guinness 0.0 appeared at Dublin Airport and Aviva Stadium during the Six Nations Championship. Four participating pub facades were also rebranded, as the likes of O’Donoghue’s in Dublin became 0.0’Donoghue’s.
All partner venues had Guinness 0.0 available on tap and offered free sampling. A ‘Buy 1, get 0.0 free’ promotion with Tesco provided customers with complementary packs of Guinness 0.0, while a Snapchat AR lens enabled people to make their own ‘singing pints’ on social media.
Guinness 0.0 became the most talked about beer in Ireland, with social media mentions rising by 74%. The brand also improved its metric scores for being a responsible and distinctive beer, enhancing its category leadership position. The campaign drove a 50% increase in Guinness 0.0 supermarket sales in Ireland, ensuring the brand picked up the 2024 Marketing Week Award for Consumer Goods.
