Guinness Makes its Premier League Debut With Biggest-Ever Global Campaign

Aug. 16, 2024

As millions of fans eagerly anticipate the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season, Guinness is launching its largest global campaign to date, marking its debut as the Official Beer and Official Non-Alcoholic Beer of the Premier League.

The launch follows another successful year for the iconic black pint, which has achieved double-digit growth for the seventh consecutive half-year. The campaign will feature four new adverts, global out-of-home advertising, "Lovely Game for a Guinness" creative in pubs and retail outlets, sponsorship of the Premier League’s Goal of the Month award, and a fleet of 20 tankers bringing the beautiful beer to the beautiful game.

Premier League legend and top goal scorer, Alan Shearer, teamed up with Guinness to unveil a fleet of customised Guinness tankers representing all 20 Premier League clubs, which left the St. James’ Gate Brewery in Dublin to deliver Guinness and Guinness 0.0 to pubs ahead of the opening weekend.

Guinness has a long history of world class creative advertising and activating sponsorships that reveal authentic stories between athletes, fans and grass roots communities. As two global brands, enjoyed by millions of people all over the world, Guinness will look to activate its partnership with the Premier League in over 70 countries, creating experiences that put passionate fans, culture, and the occasion of enjoying a Guinness at the heart of the action. From midweek routines to matchday rituals, these four films for TV and social media symbolise how our shared passion and love for football reaches all corners of the world, even islands as remote as Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides.

• Eriskay (launching today in Great Britain and across Ireland): Set on an island where 10% of the population play for the only football team on the island, we celebrate how the passion for the game and the Guinness brand reaches and brings together the most remote communities.
• Rooftop (launching globally in the coming weeks): Illuminates how the love for the game, shared by a group of shopping mall colleagues never stops, even whilst the rest of the city sleeps in Seoul.
• Brothers (re-launching today across Africa): Captures the infectious shared passion of two brothers - Miracle and Abidemi – who are bringing their community together again to watch matches socially in a Nigerian viewing centre.
• Replay (launching later this month across Asia): Reveals the excruciating and relatable moments of weekly drama for Premier League fans in Korea, trying to dodge spoiler alerts on TV, radio, social media and even from innocent bystanders in the street.

With today marking the first match of the most-watched football league on the planet where games are broadcast into 920 million homes in 189 countries, Eriskay will debut in Great Britain & Ireland during Sky Sports’ live coverage of the Premier League’s opening game. With two in five Guinness consumers visiting the On Trade to watch live sport, Guinness will be supporting pubs and retail outlets to help create fun and engaging fan experiences.

Stephen O’Kelly, Global Brand Director, Guinness said: 

“The Premier League isn't just football, it's a global occasion. Millions of fans come together every week in stadiums, pubs and homes, united by their love of the game. For Guinness, it's an amazing opportunity to continue the success of the Guinness brand globally and become part of new rituals and existing traditions worldwide, by creating imaginative stories and experiences that tap into the passions and connections between the beautiful game, and the beautiful beer.”

 

Alan Shearer, Premier League legend, said: 

“No matter where you are in the world, Guinness and the Premier League are two iconic global brands that bring fans together. From the roars of St. James’ Park echoing in bars in New York, to the tension of an injury time penalty at Old Trafford being felt in living rooms in Lagos, there will be supporters all over the world enjoying matchdays this season with a Guinness.”

 

Nicholas Hulley & Nadja Lossgott, Chief Creative Officers at AMV BBDO said:

“Whether we’re fishing footballs out of the sea off the island of Eriskay, or playing football on the roof of a Korean shopping mall, it has been a wonderful and busy time bringing to life this very human, very Guinness body of work that shows that nothing bring us together quite like Guinness and the Premier League.”

 

As the Official Responsible Drinking partner to the Premier League, this marks an exciting time for Guinness 0.0, which has just doubled its sales in Europe. Guinness will be using its global rights to promote and encourage responsible drinking during the season.