Things and Stuff

In honour of Halloweekend and all the rowdiness that surely took place (by which I mean too much candy – OBVIOUSLY), I have decided to devote this post to the new Guinness ads that I saw everywhere this weekend.

Anyone who has haunted an Irish-type pub in the last month or so (my choices would be Mahoney’s or Dentry’s, but any will do!) has surely seen these ads, although I couldn’t seem to find one one their website and had to use one from 2008 instead.  Basically, the Guinness Halloween campaign seeks to link the darkness and mystery of Guinness with the darkness and mystery of Halloween – a seemingly difficult task for a brewing company with such a rich history (dating back to 1930) with a traditional focus on its heartiness, high comfort association and classic Irish brewing methods.

However, a closer look makes it clear that this Halloween marketing is a stroke of brilliance.  After all, everyone loves to share a pint or two at Halloween, but it lacks the traditional attention of alcohol companies as there is still a strong association with children at Halloween, and I suppose that while skimpy adult Halloween costumes are one thing, pushing alcohol at this primary school holiday is another.  However, without specifically saying on its packaging that Guinness is the new Halloween drink, all of the ads made the association very clear.  New this year was a drink called Guinness and Blood or some variation on that, which sought to also tap the growing health trend by creating a pomegranate-Guinness mixed drink. I personally never tried it, but I’m sure the bitter beer would have gone beautifully with the rich tang of pomegranate.

All in all, as strange as the Guinness Halloween campaign may seem, it appears to have been successful; why else would it be kept running for four years in a row? It makes sense that management, resenting the brand’s sudden North American popularity on March 17 and much lower, more constant sales throughout the rest of the year, would seek to create a second push. As for me, I am happy to enjoy a Guinness any day of the year… but at Halloween, maybe I’ll have two.

And here are two Guinness ads, one from Halloween 2008 and one from 1930.