Effectiveness in black and white: How Guinness supercharged growth in GB and Ireland

While the Covid pandemic threw much of the beer industry into crisis mode as pubs and other outlets closed for months, this case argues that 2020 to 2023 period was a golden era for Guinness, both culturally and commercially. Marketing played a central role in driving success in both Ireland and GB, where Guinness became the nation’s best-selling pint for the first time. This performance was achieved by opening up the brand to more people and more occasions, growing brand distinctiveness, and building a new media model. Evidence that communications worked includes increased net sales value and revenue ROIs in GB and Ireland of 1.89 and 3.22, respectively.