Thinkerbell unveils Guinness countdown for St Patrick's Day
Albertus Lombard: "It’s a bit like counting down the sleeps 'til Christmas."
Creative agency Thinkerbell has launched a countdown campaign to St Patrick's Day in partnership with Guinness, part of the Lion portfolio. Developed with UM and Reprise Digital, the campaign portrays the dark stout changing shape as the celebrations approach.
With an estimated 2.4 million pints of Guinness expected to be downed across Australia during the festivities, the work aims to heighten anticipation for the occasion.
Albertus Lombard, Lion's brand director of premium beer, said St. Patrick's Day is a pivotal seasonal event for the brand, labelling it a "big deal" for Guinness lovers and beer enthusiasts alike.
"It deserves its own countdown to the big day. It’s a bit like counting down the sleeps 'til Christmas," said Lombard.
The campaign will be rolled out across socials and out-of-home (OOH) in New South Wales and Victoria.
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The launch follows Thinkerbell and Lion's recently winning Australia's first-ever Programmatic Campaign of the Year award in late February. The accolade, presented by JCDecaux, recognised their 'Guinness Brewery of Meteorology' digital OOH campaign.
The 'Guinness Brewery of Meteorology' leveraged weather data to identify "optimal" conditions for enjoying a pint of Guinness during the Australian winter. The campaign featured ads that dynamically adjusted the creative content based on weather conditions.
Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia and a judge for the award, commended the campaign's ability to capture the essence of the Guinness brand while delivering tangible results.
"They’re bringing it to a new format, and they’re also closing it from a performance point of view," said Le Roy at the time.
“You’ve got a cheeky brand, you’ve got new trial, and you’ve got immediate results. What’s not to love there?"
In February, the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) reported significant growth in the OOH industry.
The sector experienced a 12.2% increase in net media revenue for 2023, totaling $1.19 million, compared to the adjusted figure of $1.064 million recorded in 2022.
Additionally, the fourth quarter of 2023 saw a year-on-year increase of 10.9% in net media revenue, reaching $366.6 million compared to $330.7 million in Q4 2022.
The findings also showed the growing dominance of digital out-of-home (DOOH) revenue, which accounted for 73.9% of total net media revenue year-to-date. This marked an increase from the 64.5% recorded for the same period in the previous year.
