The Rising Popularity of Guinness

In recent years, Guinness has significantly grown in popularity, becoming an iconic beverage in pubs and bars around the world. In the UK, it has become the country’s best-selling pint. Part of this success is due to its consistent investment in advertising, even during the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through advertising campaigns, such as the famous "looks like Guinness," the brand solidly positioned itself in the market, using billboards and DOOH to effectively connect with consumers in their everyday moments.

Guinness and Outdoor Advertising: Dominating the Summer

One of Guinness's boldest moves was repositioning itself as a summer beer. This was a challenge, as this category has historically been dominated by popular Mediterranean lagers and British cider brands. To stand out, Guinness resorted to an OOH (Out of Home) advertising strategy that played a crucial role.

OOH advertising is known for leveraging real-world context, and Guinness used this to its advantage. By focusing on "hot spots" during the summer, such as beaches, urban parks, and coastal towns, the brand established clear associations with summer consumption moments. Additionally, through clever DOOH campaigns near pubs and bars, Guinness utilized dynamic creatives that included names and locations to encourage consumers to enjoy a pint right away.

The Impact of DOOH Advertising on the Guinness Brand

The combination of billboards, DOOH, and personalized messages allowed Guinness to dominate relevant consumption moments during the summer. This type of advertising has proven to be highly effective in creating strong associations between the brand and consumption moments. The success of these campaigns has had a direct impact on the brand's performance. Reports indicate that Diageo's overall beer brand sales increased by 18% globally in the last fiscal year, with Guinness being the primary driver of this growth.

Relation to the Cost of Outdoor Advertising

When examining Guinness's campaign, it's important to note that outdoor advertising strategies, such as the use of billboards and DOOH, often represent a cost-effective investment. Billboard advertising prices can vary depending on the location, but in high-demand areas, such as beaches and parks, outdoor advertising costs tend to be higher due to increased visibility and pedestrian traffic. However, as demonstrated by Guinness's case, investing in outdoor ads can yield significant returns.

Billboard advertising costs can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars per month, depending on factors like location and ad type. How much does a billboard cost? For example, a billboard on a major highway can range from $1,500 to $4,000 monthly. Guinness's campaigns took advantage of these strategic locations to maximize their impact.

Opportunities for Advertising at Bus Stops and Public Transport

Guinness could also have considered options for advertising at bus stops or ads in bus shelters, which offer a more accessible form of OOH advertising in densely populated urban areas. Utilizing bus stop ads is an effective strategy for capturing the attention of passersby in busy areas. Additionally, advertising in bus shelters allows for prolonged interaction with the brand message as people wait for transportation.

Conclusion: Outdoor Advertising as a Successful Strategy

Guinness's outdoor advertising campaign demonstrates how a brand can utilize OOH and DOOH to connect with consumers at relevant moments, driving growth and strengthening brand relationships. From billboards in key locations to ads on transportation media, Guinness has shown that outdoor advertising is a powerful tool for market positioning, especially when used creatively and innovatively.

For brands looking to replicate this success, understanding outdoor advertising costs and how to maximize return on investment through strategically placed and creative campaigns, as Guinness has done, is crucial.