IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEER: GUINNESS – The most famous stout beer

GUINNESS … an Irish stout beer? For sure, but it is moreover one of the world’s best loved beers.

Since more than 250 years, Guinness has been keeping and managing its image thought the years.

10 millions of pints per day, sold in 150 different countries. Here is an overview of the success of a brand.

The beginning

Born in 1725, Arthur Guinness is the founder of the brand. He bought the old St James’ gate brewery in 1759 in Dublin where the history of his beer began. Nowadays, he remains an important image of the brand. The Guinness storehouse, created in 2000, is the most visited attraction in Ireland. Located in St James’ gate original headquarters, this museum gathers history of the brand, its family and its creator, Arthur.

A bit of story

Arthur Guinness began to brew ale and porter beers at the St James’ brewery. However, facing the increasing demand on porter beer, he decided to stop brewing ale beer in 1799. Porter beer is the origin of the stout beer of today. Guinness started to export his beer abroad in 1769, first in Great Britain, Africa … then all over the world … reaching more than 150 countries today.

Identity card

Brand and strategy

Stout and Irish are the main beer features that most of beer consumers would use to define a Guinness beer. However, Guinness is much more than a beer: This Irish brewery has become a strong icon of the country which managed to go across wars and time. This strong belonging to the country reveals the traditional image of the brand: Guinness has shared more than 250 years with Ireland.

From a short story telling that a soldier recovered from injuries in Waterloo battle by drinking a Guinness, the Irish brand oriented its image on the benefits of the beer for its consumers with the slogan “Guinness is good for you” or “Guinness for strength”. Multiple advertisements use them starting from the beginning of the XX th century, focusing on the virtue of a Guinness beer on health.

At the end of the XX th century, unproved benefits and perception of alcohol do not allow Guinness to maintain its brand strategy.

Guinness is a beer, Guinness is a stout, Guinness is Irish but not only: Guinness is “Made of more”. Tradition was linked to exception in order to symbolize the brand today. Guinness clearly targets men: Strength and deep colour reflects it. However, Guinness has been made for exceptional men ...

Taking a draft beer in a pub, waiting the Nitrogen bubbles to disappear, letting the beer to get its deep dark red colour and its white head … Here is the image that the brand reflects about specificity and traditional pouring of the draft stout beer: “Good things come to those who wait”. You do not pour a Guinness as the other ones … because Guinness is not as the others ... Here again, exception is a key, Guinness suggests to behave as a wise man and exception will come to you ... like the taste of its beer ... after 250 years of tradition !