Campaign we loved in March: Guinness 0.0 celebrates a St Patrick’s Day to remember

We’re continuing our monthly blog series of campaigns that we loved here at Midas.

In March, Guinness 0.0 launched its biggest ever responsible drinking campaign, to encourage people to ‘Make it a St. Patrick’s Day to Remember’.

Created with AMV BBDO, the campaign was developed to communicate a message of moderation, and to encourage consumers to try the non-alcoholic beer, with 50,000 free pints of Guinness 0.0 being made available across Ireland over the course of St. Patrick’s weekend.

In the brand’s largest ever sampling of its non-alcoholic beer, free pints of Guinness 0.0 were available in over 300 different locations across the country, while four iconic pub facades in Dublin, Galway, Cork and Belfast were rebranded as Guinness 0.0 pubs. For example, O’Donoghue’s in Dublin became “0.0’Donoghue’s.” Other participating establishments included Dublin Airport and Aviva Stadium, host of the Guinness Six Nations finale on March 18, where customers could get a free pint of Guinness 0.0 using the Any Excuse app. The brewery experience Guinness Storehouse in Dublin also offered all guests a complimentary nonalcoholic pint. Additionally, in 164 Tesco stores across the Republic of Ireland, consumers purchasing a four-pack of Guinness with their Clubcard received a free four-pack of Guinness 0.0.

To accompany the nationwide giveaway and generate extra buzz on social media, AMV created an animated ad with a chorus of singing pints, accompanied by Bonnie Tyler’s 1984 hit “Holding Out For a Hero” (renamed “Holding Out for a Zero”). The brand also rolled out a fun and interactive Snapchat filter for users to create their own singing 0.0 pints, a trend that started on TikTok and quickly gained traction across socials.

Promoting moderation on such a famous day of drinking might seem an unusual choice for a beer brand, but the Guinness 0.0 St Patrick’s Day campaign was able to promote responsible drinking while maintaining a strong hold on the brand’s Irish heritage. The company’s marketing tactics also speak to the growing nonalcoholic movement. In Pinterest’s latest Pinterest Predicts report, the platform identified a ‘Free Spirit’ trend that showed people have grown tired of being judged for not drinking alcohol. More low-alcohol and alcohol-free options are allowing audiences control over their drinking habits. Young generations in particular are taking the lead, as seen with the popularity on TikTok of the “sober curious” movement, which encourages consumers to reconsider their relationship with alcohol.