LOVELY DAY FOR A GUINNESS

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A GUINNESS AD!

A colourful sketch painting by John Gilroy of a zookeeper with animals including a toucan and a lion.
ADVERTISING

PURE GENIUS

Guinness is synonymous with its clever, funny and innovative advertising. But for 170 years, Guinness never advertised, preferring to let its beer do the talking. 

Rupert Guinness, Chairman of the Board, finally agreed to allow the brand to advertise – so long as the advertising matched the quality of the beer. The first official advertising campaign didn’t disappoint, launching in 1929 with the unforgettable slogan Guinness is Good for You in The Daily Chronicle.  

A 1933 advert for Guinness that says There’s nothing Like a Guinness, that shows a pint with a face in it

THE GILROY ERA

S.H. Benson was chosen as the agency to represent Guinness and, such was the success of the partnership, they continued to be the Guinness agency for the next 40 years. The partnership resulted in some of the brand’s most memorable poster and television advertisements.  

It was S.H. Benson that employed the artist John Gilroy – the mastermind behind the most recognisable Guinness adverts. Gilroy ran campaigns under iconic slogans such as Guinness for Strength, first appearing in 1934, and Guinness Time. A subsequent series of posters featured a distraught zookeeper and his mischievous animals – from the famous Guinness toucan to the stout-drinking ostrich — and carried the slogan My Goodness, My Guinness. Gilroy’s work inspired other artists working for Guinness, including the Guinness Time crab. 

‘Guinness Time – Have this one on me!’ print of crab holding a pint, 1935.

As Guinness went global, so too did its advertising. Variants of Guinness slogans were produced for international markets, including the well-known Guinness For Power as a theme in adverts in the African market. 

BEYOND PRINT

Guinness advertising was quick to innovate with the first television advert appearing in 1955 - aired on the first night of commercial television.    

The Surfer TV commercial was launched in Great Britain on St. Patrick’s Day in 1999. This commercial received numerous awards including the Gold Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in June 1999. Among other accolades, it was voted the greatest TV commercial ever in the Channel 4 television programme 'The 100 Greatest TV Ads' shown in April 2000.  

Guinness advertising strives to represent diversity, from the original Christmas Card television advert launched in 2005, bringing the dream of a white Christmas to life, to the 2014 Sapeurs advert, inspired by the fashion, style and art of the Sapeurs of the Congo.   

Guinness continues today to carry on the tradition that started back in 1929, producing innovative artwork to match the quality of the beer.

KEY TOPICS

SETTLE INTO GUINNESS

Guinness has a rich and unique history. The Archive tells the story of the brand, the brewery, and its people as well as reflecting developments in Irish and international society over three centuries.

THE STORY OF GUINNESS

Guinness originated on a four-acre brewery site in the heart of Dublin city. Here we trace its development from these humble beginnings into what was, at one point, the biggest brewery in the world.
READ STORY OF GUINNESS

TRANSPORTING GUINNESS

Guinness has consistently sought innovative solutions to meet even increasing demand. Geographical obstacles were overcome using a spectrum of transport types, from horse and dray to railway, barge, ship, and, more recently, e-vehicles.
READ TRANSPORT ARTICLE

THE GOODNESS OF GUINNESS

Arthur Guinness was not only a brilliant businessman, he was also well known for his philanthropy. This is something so instilled in the Guinness tradition that it has been passed down through the Guinness generations and burns brightly within Guinness today.
READ PHILANTHROPY ARTICLE