Guinness has set the bar for incredible advertising over the years, and here are some of our absolute favourites.
Guinness is known in Ireland and worldwide for its delicious flavour and iconic look. Over the years, Guinness adverts have become incredibly popular, with many vintage posters still on display in distant far-off locations.
It is down to the heartwarming story of Guinness and the excellent advertising over the years – as well as the taste, of course, that our beloved Irish stout has made it one of the most successful alcoholic brands on the planet.
So, today we will take you on a trip down Guinness memory lane with a look at the epic adverts throughout the ages, which we all remember. Let’s look at the top five Guinness adverts of all time.
5. Tipping Point – dominos in Argentina
Any of us who have kept a keen eye on the fantastic Guinness adverts over the years will certainly remember this one, known as Tipping Point or Dominos, which was part of the most expensive advertising campaign they had ever run.
This 2007 ad was filmed in a small remote town in Argentina and featured the entire town made up of random dominos objects from around the village.
The 90-second video follows the vast number of objects tipping over throughout the village until it reaches the end and forms a stack of books which include the shape of a giant pint of Guinness.
Among the dominos are cars, fridges, tires, and even bales of hay, each object as surprising as the next, which is what made it such a creative project.
4. Guinness Surfer – one of the best Guinness adverts of all time
The tagline ‘Good things come to those who wait’ stands out among the Guinness adverts over the years, as well as the black and white imagery featuring white horses that caught the world’s attention.
Oh, and did we mention the background music by Leftfield, which gets our hearts catapulting and beating to the rhythm?
Together with the video imagery of professional Polynesian surfers catching gigantic waves and galloping horses, it was shot in Hawaii over nine days and was an advert that went on to win more awards than any other ad in 1999, as well as being consistently voted as the best ad of all time.
3. Guinness ‘Sapeurs’ – the people of the Congo
This 2004 ad which was based around the Sapeurs of Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, was one of inspiration, positivity, and fun, and the famous line within the ad, “In life, you cannot always choose what you do, but you can always choose who you are”, proved just this.
With upbeat music and fascinating commentary, this video told the story of the Congo’s uniquely elegant group of people.
The Sapeurs work as taxi drivers, farmers, and labourers during the day. Still, when the night falls, this incredibly cool group of people come alive in bright and colourful clothes and a positive attitude to live out their dreams of not being defined by what they do but by who they are.
We just love the message that this well-thought-out advert brought to the world.
2. Anticipation – the dancing man
This has to be one of the most famous Guinness adverts known to man, not only because it appeared in print, cinema, and on television, but because it featured captivating mambo music by Perez Prado, which has been stuck in our heads for years now.
The advert also featured Joe McKinney as ‘The Dancing Man’, who had us in stitches with his dance moves as he impatiently waited for his pint to settle.
Not only was this an advert that was successful with the Irish public and people around the world, but the ad even won several awards from within the advertising industry, which is what makes it such a classic.
In 1994, this was the final advert released as part of the Guinness advertising campaign, which had been ongoing since the 1980s; Guinness has been selling itself.
1. The artwork of John Gilroy – the iconic animal posters
One of the most iconic Guinness adverts of all time is the humourous animal creations by none other than John Gilroy.
Not only did he create the famous phrases ‘Lovely day for a Guinness’, ‘Guinness is Good For You’ and ‘My Goodness, My Guinness’, but his phrases were placed alongside some fantastic imagery of various exotic animals with their very own pints.
The artwork of Gilroy, a British artist who started his career with S. H. Bensons advertising agency in 1925, has proved to be some of the best art in advertising that the world has seen.
So much so that these vintage posters can still be seen in Irish pubs all over the globe and have become an iconic image of our national drink.
Notable mentions
Compton Cowboys: This American film tells the heartwarming story of the Compton Cowboys, a group of men who rescue horses in California and inspire purpose and meaning in us all.
St Patrick’s Day Morning: The fact that this Guinness adverts message was to treat St Patrick’s Day like a holiday makes it a fantastic one.
Swim Black: This memorable Guinness ad followed an aging local sports hero’s annual swimming race to his brother’s pub against the clock of a pint of Guinness being poured at the bar.
The Bayeux Tapestry: One of the quirkiest ads was the recreation of the Bayeaux Tapestry, featuring warriors riding into battle with a pint of Guinness in their hand.
Pure Genius: Rutger Hauer, made famous from Blade Runner, gained a cult following after playing ‘The man with the Guinness’ in the quirky ‘Pure Genius’ campaign.
FAQs about Guinness adverts
When did Guinness start advertising?
They started advertising in 1794, and in the early 20th century, they set the beer bar high for amazing advertising worldwide.
What’s the Guinness slogan?
‘Guinness is Good for You’ is well known as the iconic Guinness slogan, and we can’t argue with that.
Which country drinks the most Guinness?
Believe it or not, Nigeria drinks more Guinness than Ireland or any other country on the planet.
So, there it is, our top five Guinness adverts of all time, all of which we are sure to trigger some pleasant nostalgia.
