March 17, 2008
Beoir Go Bragh
Far be it for us to suggest that Diageo is engaged in marketing shenanigans with a petition drive that seeks to make St. Patrick’s a national holiday in the U.S. But, we are less than convinced the owner of Guinness is all that interested in marking the introduction of Christianity to the land of our ancestors. No, we are quite sure it is about selling more ale and that’s okay. It’s all in good craic, after all.
What’s interesting about this marketing tale is that Diageo competitor Anheuser-Busch has joined in the call for St. Pat’s to become a national day of celebration.
According to a report by Beer Business Daily that was picked up by AdAge, A-B is supporting Diageo in recognition of its Bass Ale brand’s historic link to Guinness.
“As the foundation of every authentic Black & Tan, Bass Pale Ale has quite literally supported Guinness for decades. This year we’ve identified an exciting new way to ‘support’ our competition.”
While A-B is linking the role of Bass Ale in the creation of an “authentic” black and tan, Diageo has recommended its Harp brand as the tan portion of the concoction.
A-B’s piggyback on the Diageo campaign includes print ads in alternative weeklies in 14 markets along with radio sponsorships on stations popular among men 25 – 49.
Diageo seems to have taken A-B’s guerilla marketing campaign in good humor. “On St. Patrick’s Day everybody is Irish, and everyone at Guinness is genuinely complimented by all the attention and good will being focused on our quest to make St. Patrick’s Day a national holiday,” said a company spokesperson.
Discussion Question: While the likelihood is nil that it would happen, would a St. Patrick’s national holiday result in greater incremental sales of alcoholic beverages and other products that are now commonly purchased in its observance? What are your thoughts on Diageo’s campaign and A-B’s piggybacking?
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Poll
As one with at least half a claim to the Irish–Grandpa Flynn’s father and uncle immigrated–I have to chime in that I don’t see how nationalizing a religious holiday (OK, cult maybe?) could make the worshipers any more devout. My own kids traveled to be with Dad in downtown Chicago on Saturday. And from the time we crossed the green river until we left, the only concession to the traditions was eating cajun food at Redfish (where we were given green beads and one of the younger, non-Irish revelers even drank green beer). I can blearily report that the traditions are alive and well, at least here in Chicago!
This is category marketing at its finest; when competitors work together to grow the entire business. We have seen this from the auto companies and the airlines for years. Now the beer companies have finally recognized that it is better to join together to pool their resources rather than keep fighting each other. Making the entire category more prominent “wins” their battle against other alcoholic drinks, as well as non-alcoholic choices. A concerted effort to name St. Patrick’s day is just the beginning….
Unless something new and even more stimulating than beer and booze is created to help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, national holiday or not, there is not much room left for extra sales in those already saturated existing products designed for joyful March 17 exuburance. So until something better comes along, Erin Go Braugh.
First of all Max, it’s a collar, not foam!!
Next, I agree with some of the earlier comments. How can you imagine a scenario in which people acted dumber on St. Patrick’s Day–the day when the wayward American children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Paris, Palermo, Stockholm, Cracow and all points East, West, North and South are transformed for 24 inglorious (er…or is that vain glorious?) hours into the adopted children of the Irish Diaspora? After all, it’s truly a sight to see bars full of Americans manifesting their solidarity with the Irish people by wearing odd little plastic hats a shade of green never found in nature; putting on strap-on leprechaun shoes with curled toes; speaking with what they imagine to be a brogue; voluntarily drinking gallons of green food coloring; eating mountains of Kosher corned beef and overcooked cabbage; and singing Danny Boy blissfully ignorant of the fact that the melody was “borrowed” (and by a Brit at that!) than they currently do?
Will a national holiday amp up all this fun? Hard to believe but, as we see every March 17, anything is possible.
Move St. Paddy’s day to the 3rd Monday in March (similar to other Monday holidays) and have a 3 day celebration! Sales will definitely increase.
Like the Super Bowl…it may be a better idea to have the day after as a holiday.
Hard to believe a national holiday would increase sales more (especially in Chicago, where everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day). On the other hand, making the day after a national holiday would help with the hangover.
Over the years, the marketing team at Guinness has come up with many clever promotions. Remember the pub give-aways? This is another of their creative ideas. A-B coming on board is simply the foam on top of the stout.
It would be great for marketing but how much it would actually increase consumption is questionable. As some of the other commentators have attested to, I wonder how much more fun the Irish (and the wanna be Irish) can have on Saint Paddy’s Day? But you have to admire the beverage companies for their pluck in trying.
Anheuser-Busch has the largest market share in the beer business, so they’d be the #1 beneficiary of anything that expands beer drinking. I cannot understand why Guinness is thinking so small. Why not St. Patrick’s Day in August? Why not St. Patrick’s Day every month? Every week? Every hour?
More Discussions
Has Same-Day Delivery Become an Expectation Across Retail?
Are expectations around retail delivery speed in flux?OpenAI Names the Infrastructure Standard for Agentic Commerce
Will OpenAI or Google (or another entity) set the gold standard for agentic commerce?Is Five Below Poised For Even Greater Growth?
Five Below is hitting serious growth numbers. Can this trend continue?
As one with at least half a claim to the Irish–Grandpa Flynn’s father and uncle immigrated–I have to chime in that I don’t see how nationalizing a religious holiday (OK, cult maybe?) could make the worshipers any more devout. My own kids traveled to be with Dad in downtown Chicago on Saturday. And from the time we crossed the green river until we left, the only concession to the traditions was eating cajun food at Redfish (where we were given green beads and one of the younger, non-Irish revelers even drank green beer). I can blearily report that the traditions are alive and well, at least here in Chicago!
This is category marketing at its finest; when competitors work together to grow the entire business. We have seen this from the auto companies and the airlines for years. Now the beer companies have finally recognized that it is better to join together to pool their resources rather than keep fighting each other. Making the entire category more prominent “wins” their battle against other alcoholic drinks, as well as non-alcoholic choices. A concerted effort to name St. Patrick’s day is just the beginning….
Unless something new and even more stimulating than beer and booze is created to help celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, national holiday or not, there is not much room left for extra sales in those already saturated existing products designed for joyful March 17 exuburance. So until something better comes along, Erin Go Braugh.
First of all Max, it’s a collar, not foam!!
Next, I agree with some of the earlier comments. How can you imagine a scenario in which people acted dumber on St. Patrick’s Day–the day when the wayward American children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Paris, Palermo, Stockholm, Cracow and all points East, West, North and South are transformed for 24 inglorious (er…or is that vain glorious?) hours into the adopted children of the Irish Diaspora? After all, it’s truly a sight to see bars full of Americans manifesting their solidarity with the Irish people by wearing odd little plastic hats a shade of green never found in nature; putting on strap-on leprechaun shoes with curled toes; speaking with what they imagine to be a brogue; voluntarily drinking gallons of green food coloring; eating mountains of Kosher corned beef and overcooked cabbage; and singing Danny Boy blissfully ignorant of the fact that the melody was “borrowed” (and by a Brit at that!) than they currently do?
Will a national holiday amp up all this fun? Hard to believe but, as we see every March 17, anything is possible.
Move St. Paddy’s day to the 3rd Monday in March (similar to other Monday holidays) and have a 3 day celebration! Sales will definitely increase.
Like the Super Bowl…it may be a better idea to have the day after as a holiday.
Hard to believe a national holiday would increase sales more (especially in Chicago, where everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day). On the other hand, making the day after a national holiday would help with the hangover.
Over the years, the marketing team at Guinness has come up with many clever promotions. Remember the pub give-aways? This is another of their creative ideas. A-B coming on board is simply the foam on top of the stout.
It would be great for marketing but how much it would actually increase consumption is questionable. As some of the other commentators have attested to, I wonder how much more fun the Irish (and the wanna be Irish) can have on Saint Paddy’s Day? But you have to admire the beverage companies for their pluck in trying.
Anheuser-Busch has the largest market share in the beer business, so they’d be the #1 beneficiary of anything that expands beer drinking. I cannot understand why Guinness is thinking so small. Why not St. Patrick’s Day in August? Why not St. Patrick’s Day every month? Every week? Every hour?