Talk about playing the long game! Guinness – now the most popular beer in the UK – is a brand that’s over 265 years old.
Why does that matter for marketers? Because the product itself hasn’t changed since its inception.
This means that Guinness’ growth can be directly attributed to its marketing team, rather than new products or changes in the formula of the beverage.
As marketers then, we should be looking to this brand for guidance on the long-term marketing strategies we can also implement.
Guinness distinguishes itself from other brands, like Coca-Cola, which have had numerous product redesigns and pivots over the years.
Coke began as a patent medicine in the late 19th Century, then transitioned to an alternative to alcoholic drinks during the prohibition period.
During its initial years, it lived up to its name and indeed contained coca (cocaine) leaves and caffeine – I imagine this would have given a different kind of buzz to the Coca-Cola we drink today.
It’s fair to say that the original product is a million-miles away from the drink we know as Coke today.
The same can’t be said for Guinness – it’s still a gorgeous ruby red, smooth, white-capped, creamy stout.
Why playing the long game works
By playing the long game, brands get to do three things.
- Establish brand trust and brand equity
- Cultivate brand loyalty
- Adapt to market trends
Developing brand equity and trust
By simply existing for longer than many of its competitors, Guinness arguably has some of the most powerful brand equity around.
(Brand equity is the intangible value or reputation that a brand holds in the minds of its consumers).
Through its unwavering identity, its strong heritage and tradition and its success at creating emotional connection with great marketing, Guinness has developed a brand equity that I would argue is unrivalled in the beverage industry.
On top of this, Guinness plays on the fact that it is Irish and often uses this as an opportunity for marketing its products.
Many people have strong or fond ideas about Ireland, which no doubt helps in Guinness’ marketing campaigns.
Cultivating brand loyalty
Personally, I’ve had Guinness in Estonia, Albania, North Macedonia, Canada, and Lithuania but the beverage is served in over 150 countries worldwide.
Why did I try it in all these countries?
Because Guinness offers a unique brand experience that goes beyond just the product itself.
It’s trustworthy, safe, and well respected everywhere.
It has advocates who will argue over the best way to pour it, the best way to drink it and the best locations in which to enjoy it.
It has a consistent quality (though the one I had in Estonia wasn’t great) and an emotional branding that uses storytelling to create meaningful connections with its consumers.
Adapting to market trends
New brands often pivot quickly to adapt to market trends but this can leave them out in the dark, as though a shadow has passed where they once were.
They haven’t etched out their place in the world of business yet, so when they ‘adapt’ to market trends there’s nothing left behind as a place marker – they’re not rooted.
Guinness, on the other hand, always has the previous 250 years to fall back on.
They have a tried and tested brand to back them up.
So, when they try something new – take their recent non-alcoholic 0.0 version – it’s less risky. Less existential to their business.
They know that making a mistake, in the long-run, won’t be hugely detrimental to the overarching narrative.
Playing the long game gives them the space to experiment.
I see one major risk to the Guinness brand
Young people don’t drink anymore…
In 2018, 28 per cent of college students said they abstained from alcohol.
Only 19 per cent of Gen Z (born 1995-2002) drink beer, compared to 31 per cent for Millennials (1980-1994).
Hey, this might not be a long-term issue, but I think it’s something the brand is certainly worried about – hence the big song and dance about their non-alcoholic version.
I wonder if this is something we’ll start to see more of as times goes on.
Will it even work though? Isn’t the whole point of beer that it gets you tipsy?
I guess time will tell…
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