The jungle drums are beginning to sound regarding the upcoming Guinness 250th Anniversary TV campaign which will be there first global offering. The campaign commemorates the signing of the lease on its brewery at St. James’ Gate, Dublin.
In the TV ad, a Guinness drinker (in a traditional Irish pub) considers the 1759 date on his pint glass and raises his glass to toast its founder, Arthur Guinness. Another drinker overhears the toast and raises his glass as well, and the toast spreads out across the city and then across the world. As the camera pans out, tv viewers are asked to ‘join the worldwide celebration of a man named Arthur and a beer named Guinness’.
The UK is likely to see a second, more humorous, version of the ad which sees the toast ‘To Arthur’ become misinterpreted as it travels the globe, becoming a toast ‘To Farmers,’ ‘To Llamas’ and ‘To Parsnips’ in a chinese whispers style.
In a stroke of pure genius (see what I did there),the Guinness campaign will include a number of ‘Arthur’s Day’ events on 24 September, to be held in cities around the world including Lagos and Kuala Lumpur!! There are also plans afoot for a consumer promotion that will offer Guinness drinkers the chance to travel into space courtesy with Virgin Galactic, see a private gig with pop band the Black Eyed Peas, and drink a Guinness at an under water bar only accessible by submarine!
A campaign of this magnitude will take some topping and Guinness have yet again raised the bar. Once I have a copy I will post it for you but here is a great one from a few years back:
