Past promotion policy

The distinct GUINNESS brand identity has evolved over time, but it is still linked to the company’s first ever packaging and advertising. In the beginning, bottles of GUINNESS were labelled with bottler’s own designs. As trade grew, the first official label was used. In 1862, a buff-colored oval label was trademarked and supplied to the bottlers. It is still famous today.

Three core elements of this label are still used in the brand identity

1. the HARP device – It is based on a famous 14th century Irish harp called the “O’Neill” or “Brian Boru” harp. This device was trademarked in 1876.  The harp still exists at Trinity College, Dublin. Here is the evolution of the harp:
   
   
2. the Arthur Guinness SIGNATURE – This is based on the very signature from Arthur’s signing of the lease at St. James’ Gate Brewery in 1759. The colour and quality of the mark has changed over the years as seen below:
   
   
3. the GUINNESS WORD – This is the name of the product and the family that ran the business. It has appeared on wooden-casks, horse-drawn drays, barges, ships, the Brewery’s gates, posters, tv commercials, merchandise and all forms of packaging and promotional material. It has had a variety of letter styling as shown below, but an official typeface ‘Hobbs’, developed by Bruce Hobbs, was introduced in the 1960s. It was replaced by ‘Design Group Hobbs’ in 1991 and by ‘Unified Hobbsian’ in 1997. In 2005, the font was converted to a wordmark:

Subtle style changes have been made over the years, but the three features always remain.

Advertising

The first advertising for GUINNESS was the famous Gilroy and Animals Campaign done by S.H.Benson’s advertising agency in 1928. Gilroy, an esteemed artist of the century, was recruited by the agency to illustrate for the campaign. He was involved with the “Guinness for Strength” and the “My Goodness, MY GUINNESS” campaigns that ran for nearly 30 years side by side. The former showed people drinking GUINNESS being able to perform feats of strength. The concept was that “Guinness is Good For You”. Some of the other icon phrases used for this were “Lovely Day for a Guinness”, “Guinness Makes You Strong,” and most famously, “Guinness is Good For You”

The“My Goodness, MY GUINNESS” campaign showed various zoo-animals interacting in funny ways with GUINNESS. At Christmas, the phrase changed to “My Goodness, My Christmas, It’s Guinness!”.

Words like timeless, world famous, unique, strong, creative, fun, enjoyable and iconic have been used to describe the advertising behind GUINNESS. The goal was to position the beer in line with these characteristics and qualities. TV ads were eventually added to the promotion of the product. Guinness have won many awards for their advertising campaigns.

Campaigns

Some of the most notable campaigns are listed here:

1. “Anticipation” (1994-1995) in Ireland featured Irish actor Joe McKinney dancing to “Guaglione” by Perez Prado. It put the song to number one in the charts for several weeks.
2. “Good things come to those who wait” was a slogan used to promote GUINNESS Draught in the UK.
   • “Surfer” (1999) – won for all time best TV commercial in the UK poll by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 in 2000.
   • “Bet on Black” (2000) – features a snail race  
   • “noitulovE” (Evolution backwards) (2006) – was the most awarded commercial world wide in 2006
3. “To Arthur” (2009) was released for Arthur Guinness Day, the worldwide celebration of 250 years of GUINNESS.
4. The “Made of More” brand line has been used in advertising in the UK and elsewhere since 2013. Many campaigns have been developed under this new brand positioning.
   • “Wheelchair Basketball” (2013) – made by BBDO’s New York office 
   • “In Pursuit of More”(2014) – emphasises the history, introduces the employees, and reveals the brewing process.
   • “Empty Chair” (2014) was released on the Fourth of July 
   • “Sapeurs” (2014) was the newest “Made of More” ad from Guinness.
   • “Made of Black” Guinness Africa (2014) – aired on MTV Base Africa (it builds on the brand line “Made of More”) It features a Kanye West song called ‘Black Skinhead’
5. “Barnes Sisters” (2014) – film advert featuring biathletes Tracy Barnes and Lanny Barnes was awarded a gold Clio award in 2015 – honouring excellence in sports marketing and advertising.
6. “Berbeda Batik tapi tetap Satu” for Guinness Indonesia (2015) –  made as an attempt to appeal to younger drinkers, 21-30 year old urban males and average light drinkers. A local street art legend is featured and a Facebook app allows customers to create their own batik styles.
7. “#TasteofBlack” for Korea (2015) –  an attempt to expand the brand in Korea and encourage new customers. The campaign is meant to show that the brand is inviting and overcome the perception of an overly strong taste. A hashtag #TASTEofBLACK is used to asks people to share their experience on social media. The advert stresses product features like: smooth, deep, creamy, bold, rich and amazing. It is targeted at men and women.

Themes

Like some of their beer competitors, GUINNESS is a sponsor of sport. They have sponsored various teams and tournaments over three decades. It is now the official beer of RBS 6 Nations and of Premiership Rugby. The beer is sold at the Home Nations stadia.

Guinness was also became the official sponsor for Rugby’s Pro12 league for the 2014-15 season.

New film adverts ran before and during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, that won the company a silver Clio Sports Award this year:

It involved a series of commercials showing historical footage of games past with narratives voiced-over about how people involved in rugby overcame the odds and triumphed.

• “David and Goliath”
• “Mind Over Matter”
• “Irresistible Spirit”
• “Merci”

The The Rugby World Cup poster campaign that GUINNESS ran alongside these commercials was unique and creative with Rugby themes forming the shape of a pint of GUINNESS. Post tournament analysis shows that people thought Guinness was the official sponsor of the games when really it was Heineken.

Development and Quality

GUINNESS is what we know today as a “Stout”. In 1759 Ireland, It was originally brewed as “Porter” and later “Stout Porter” because it was popular with UK train porters. They preferred it for its strong taste. Arthur also brewed Ale when he first opened the brewery, but it was no longer produced by 1799. “Pure Beauty. Pure GUINNESS” is the slogan used to identify all styles of the beer.

The brewery currently produces the following types of GUINNESS:

• Guinness Original (canned or bottled): The original brew from 200+ years ago
• Draught Guinness (launched as draught beer in British pubs in 1959 and now in cans and bottles too): this contains nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The creaminess of the head is produced by the nitrogen as very fine bubbles and the method used to dispense the beer.
• Guinness Red (draught): lighter tasting draught stout – the barley is roasted a little less and the red colour comes out more.
• Foreign Extra Stout (bottled): most full-flavoured of all. brewed with extra hops. the flavour is bitter and sweet. Contains only the carbon dioxide which gives it a more acidic taste

This chart shows how some types of GUINNESS were ranked by number of users in the UK in 2014:

The newest development for the product was announced this November 2015. By the end of 2016, GUINNESS are removing one of the ingredients, Isinglass (from fish bladders), to make their products suitable for vegetarians and vegans. This is going to be possible because of a new filtration process to remove yeast particles.

Design and Description

GUINNESS is composed from water, hops, brewers yeast and barley malt. On first glance, the colour of the beer looks black. It is actually a ruby red when held up to the light, and this signature dark colour is a result of a portion of the barley being flaked (which involves steaming, rolling and roasting). The draught requires a signature double pour. It is dispensed through a five-hole disk restrictor plate or with a widget, supplying an uncommon amount of nitrogen. This produces the creamy head as mentioned before. To pour the perfect pint of GUINNESS takes 119.5 seconds.

GUINNESS is described as the Nation’s favourite drink. It is the quintessential Irish brew.

Packaging

Packaging has gone through various container changes and redesigns, but the trademark label was first introduced in 1862 and still remains – an oval label with the harp and Arthur Guinness’ signature. The harp was a registered trademark in 1876. As mentioned earlier, the beer started out in stoneware and was eventually packaged in glass bottles in 1834. It is also available on tap or in cans. Draught can come in a can because of the invention of the ‘widget beer’. Bottled draught beer is also possible because of the invention of the ‘rocket widget’. In ### GUINNESS revealed a new American style lager to release to the American market. The new lager’s packaging was more in keeping with branding of typical lagers of major corporate brewers in the U.S. The style is near-monochromatic as opposed to the more colourful and whimsical branding often seen on craft beer brands.

Uses

Guinness products are mainly used as drinks and much of the time during social occasions, but they have some alternative uses too. Guinness is sometimes used as an ingredient in recipes for starters, main courses and desserts. It is also used as an ingredient in cocktails. In 1861, the famous cocktail called the ‘black velvet’ was invented which is a 50/50 mix of GUINNESS and champagne. Recipes can be found throughout the internet. Visit the official site http://www.guinness.com/en-gb/food.html to see their listed recipes and cocktails.

Reputation

Guinness is seen all over the world as a potent national symbol of Ireland. It is known for its full-bodies flavour, dark colour and creamy texture and has a reputation as a “meal in a glass”. This is a misnomer since the beer actually has less alcohol and calories than other beers. It also has a reputation for being an older gentleman’s drink, though GUINNESS has tried to change this reputation in various global ad campaigns.

Strengths

One major strength of this product is that it is the only global stout brand available. Another strength is its ties with the Irish holiday, St. Patrick’s day. 13 million glasses are enjoyed round the world in that one day! A typical day would see 8 million glasses consumed. In general this link to Irish heritage has been a strength. The distinctive and unique flavour, colour and texture can be seen as a strength since there are no other brands that have matched this. Another helper are the scientific studies that say drinking beer in moderation is good for your health, and GUINNESS has a reputation for containing antioxidant compounds.

Weaknesses

As much as the flavour, colour and texture can be a strength, they can be a weakness too. Some people find this beer too heavy and filling and might go for something more crisp and fresh. Some consumers are also turning to craft beers over established brands since for craft beers, quality wins out over quantity. Another weakness is the trend of health conscious populations to shift from beer consumption to wine and spirits. Other scientific studies go the other direction and link beer drinking with increased risk of breast cancer as well as liver damage, other types of cancer and decreased brain function. Another threat is the role of alcohol in differing cultures. Some people choose not to drink alcohol at all.

The Product Sales Features

Exclusive

Sales features exclusive to GUINNESS products is a distinct dark creamy brew, the position as the only global stout available worldwide, it’s Irish heritage, the antioxidant compounds responsible for health benefits, and high iron content.  Health benefits however are never used by GUINNESS or Diageo as selling points. The company never makes medical claims for their drinks and they even run advertisements calling for “responsible drinking”. Positioning the product as healthy would be contradicting to these points.

Nonexclusive differentiating qualities

Beer in general has a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals. One study showed that the darker the beer, the more flavonoids it contains making GUINNESS better for reducing risk blot clots in the body. GUINNESS is one of the lower alcohol beers. It has an ABV of 4.0, which is less than the watery brews labelled “light”. Coors Light has 4.2, Bud Light has 4.2, and Corona Light  has 4.5. Guinness Draught seems heavy, but it is actually one of the lowest-calorie, non-light beers there is. It has about 125 calories which is 44% less than other stouts.

Competitive position

The competitive position could be that GUINNESS has fewer calories for a full-bodied and full-flavored beer.  It would not be appropriate to officially position the beer for scientific health benefit findings since there is also risk of alcoholism and studies also link drinking beer to cancer.

The Product Research

Technological breakthroughs and improvements planned

The beer ‘widget’ was invented by GUINNESS so that Draught beers can be brought home in a can.

Fish bladder will soon be removed from the recipe to target a new audience of vegetarians and vegans.

Innovation in craft beer production is helping to drive net sales for GUINNESS. A marketing and branding campaign known as “The Brewers Project at St James’s Gate” was created to give new Guinness beers a podium. The new beers are craft porters, a golden ale and a blonde American lager.

History

GUINNESS® the company was officially born in 1759, when the founder, Arthur Guinness, signed a 9,000-year lease on a disused brewery at St. James’ Gate in Dublin. In 1769, the first export went out to England, 6 and a half barrels by ship. After Arthur’s death in 1803, the business was passed down through the family line. He himself has 21 children, so there would not be a shortage of possible inheritors.

• 1759 Arthur Guinness (founder)
• 1803 Arthur Guinness II
• 1850 Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness
• 1868 Edward Cecil
• 1927 Rupert Guinness

in 1840 the first shipment of  GUINNESS set sail for New York. It was in 1886 the company became public on the London Stock Exchange. It was the largest brewery in the world during this time (1.2 million barrels produced per year)! With increasing exports, bottling began to happen locally to where the product was being sold and then in 1936 the first overseas brewery was built at Royal Park, London. The 1950s to 70s saw much expansion of GUINNESS being made in breweries around the world (see 50s-70s list below). But the next purpose-built GUINNESS brewery following London erected on Nigerian soil in 1963. That same year the last wooden keg was used. From then on it was only stored and shipped in metal. From the 70s to 80s, GUINNESS again gained wider ground seeing production in more breweries outside of Ireland. (see 70s-80s list below)

1950’s-1970’s expansion

• Kenya (under contract by East African Breweries, for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, then Sudan and Somalia)
• Trinidad (under contract, by Caribbean Breweries)
• Sierra Leone (under contract with Sierra Leone Breweries)
• Cameroon
• Mauritius
• Ghana
• Angola (under contract by Eka Brewery)
• Liberia (under contract by Monrovia Breweries)
• Seychelles (under contract by Seychelles Breweries Limited
• Jamaica (under contract)
• Canada
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Thailand (under contract, by Thai Amarit Breweries)

1970’s-1980’s expansion

• Cote D’Ivoire (under contract).
• Guyana
• St. Kitts (under contract, by St. Kitts Brewery).
• Singapore (under contract by Asia Pacific Breweries).
• Haiti
• Bahamas
• Indonesia (under contract by PT. Multi Bintang Indonesia).
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Togo (under contract by Brasseries du Benin)

Size, Growth and Profitability

In 1997, the long tradition of being a family-owned business ended when Guinness PLC & Grand Metropolitan PLC merged to form English conglomerate Diageo PLC. The name comes from the Latin word ‘Dia’ for ‘day’ and the Greek word ‘Geo’ for ‘world’. In 2005, The Royal Park Brewery closed, but by this time GUINNESS was based in Diageo’s London headquarters instead of Dublin. Diageo operates in 21 geographically markets worldwide and leads the industry for premium drinks business. The conglomerate produces 6.5 billion liters of its spirit, beer and wine commodities each year from over 100 locations in more than 30 countries.

They have five geographical reporting segments listed here:

• North America
• Western Europe
• Latin America
• Asia-Pacific
• Africa combined with Eastern Europe and Turkey

Diageo is most profitable in its North America segment, which includes U.S. Spirits & Wines, Diageo-Guinness U.S.A. (DGUSA), and Canada.

The full family of brands is listed below:

• Global Giants: Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray, Guinness
• Local stars: Crown Royal, Yeni Raki, J&B, Buchanan’s, Windsor, Grand Old Parr, Bundaberg Distilling Co., Bell’s, McDowell’s No.1, Ypio’ca, Cacique, Shui Jing Fang
• Reserve: Johnnie Walker X-R The Legacy Blend, John Walker & Sons Odyssey, John Walker & Sons King George V, Johnnie Walker. Blue Label Trophy, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, The Singleton of Glen Ord, Ketel One Vodka, Ciroc, Tanqueray No. Ten, Zacapa XO, Tequila DonJulio, Bulleit. Bourbon

The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) The growth and profitability between 1999 and 2015 is shown below for each of these:

• LSE: DGE – (1999 – 2015)
• NYSE: DEO – (1999 – 2015)

Scope of the business

GUINNESS produces the world’s favourite stout beer. It also owns Smithwicks Irish Ale, created Harp Lager and makes Kilkenny. The business branches out beyond beer. In 1984 it opened the Hopstore to visitors at St. James’ Gate Brewery. This later became known as the GUINNESS visitor center in 1988 and since 2000 has been known as the GUINNESS STOREHOUSE™. This is the number one tourist attraction in Ireland. It showcases a special tour of brewing techniques, exhibits the company’s history of marketing, and pours visitors (of drinking-age) a free trial pint of the world’s favorite stout. It sees visitors from all over the world included many famous celebrities. The company also sells merchandise, emblazoned with its world-renowned branding.

Competence

This GUINNESS name is still standing after more than 250 years with huge sales world-wide which shows competence and uniqueness in the recipe it provides. These days GUINNESS is going beyond its product sales competence by implementing sustainability and responsibility initiatives that positions the brand as a corporate citizen. GUINNESS strives to support every link in its own production chain and goes beyond by helping to relieve problems of alcohol misuse in society, safeguarding water and the environment, contributing to socio-economic development of the communities in which they operate, providing employee support, integrating standards further down the supply chain, setting up a sound governance structure and code of business conduct and creating a culture that demands integrity all-round in its practices.

Reputation

Overall, GUINNESS has a great reputation. It is the only global stout brand available and is the world’s favourite stout. In 1992 the concept of the Irish pub moved across Europe and by 1998, 2,500 of them were selling GUINNESS Draught worldwide. GUINNESS is also known for the fun and creative marketing campaigns that capture the heart and soul of the brand. The company has won many awards for these campaigns throughout the years. In 1996, the Queen’s Award was given to GUINNESS for Export Achievement for the 3rd time. In 2004 the The GUINNESS STOREHOUSE™ welcomed its 2 millionth visitor since it opened in 2000. In the United Kingdom, an average Buzz score of 6.7 in 2014, ranking GUINNESS highest of leading beer and cider brands.

Strengths

GUINNESS has been around for many years, therefore the business has considerable experience and knowledge for producing and exporting the product. The company also has a history of going beyond the bottom line too.  Arthur Guinness was a human rights advocate and the company has carried on Arthur’s philanthropic nature throughout the generations. This gives the company strength in the current market that requires businesses to practice corporate social responsibility. Since it is a traditional practice to care about the community, the company does not look as though the motivation is reactive to this demand, but more sincere and altruistic. GUINNESS also has strength in its marketing, historically and current. One example where a marketing effort exploded into a bigger thing is which the invention of the Guinness book of World Records. It was originally intended as a marketing giveaway, a compendium of little-known facts, invented to settle obscure debates one might find discussed in pubs in 1954.  It is now a publishing sensation. The merger into Diageo brought GUINNESS into the family with premium brand positioning and a large market in the U.S. and since 2000 North America brews its own GUINNESS Extra Stout. Innovation is another one of the GUINNESS strongpoints. In 1988, GUINNESS provided the first ‘widget’ beer, GUINNESS Draught in a can and won the Queen’s award for technological achievement. Following that, in 1999, Draught in bottles was launched using a new ‘rocket widget’.

Weaknesses

Being owned by a large conglomerate can also be seen as a weakness. Current trends show backlash and boycott from consumers on huge multinational corporations that cause harm to communities (socially and economically). This reputation is sometimes blanketed across all huge corporation without further investigation. For example, when a corporate sponsored holiday dubbed “Arthur’s Day” was organised by Diageo in 2009 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of GUINNESS, it was met with some negative publicity. Some high-profile artists even spoke out against the holiday and Huffington Post called it “Diageo Day”, criticising it as a marketing ploy to raise GUINNESS sales. The journal even called for a boycott of the event. Some other weaknesses for the company include the threat of widespread alcohol abuse damaging the reputation and the threat that fossil fuel and water shortages have on production and cost to consumers.