July 18, 2008
Drew’s Note: As I try to do every Friday, I’m pleased to bring you a guest post from yet another interesting thought leader who shares his insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Mark Nagurski. Enjoy!
What Guinness can teach us about creating a brand.
At the risk of death-by-cliché, as an Irishman I enjoy the odd tipple from time to time at my local pub, and often my libation of choice is one of Ireland’s greatest inventions – Guinness.
As a brand, Guinness punches well above its weight. The iconic black and white pint, the distinctive taste and the classic advertising are as much a part of ‘brand Ireland’ as shamrocks, leprechauns and Riverdance.
This is despite the sour-faced contortions regularly seen as the first drops of the bitter malt hit an uninitiated palate. In other words, some people don’t like it much at all.
So what, considering the love it or loathe it taste, makes the Guinness brand one of the world’s best loved – and what can we learn from it?
1. Guinness is visually distinctive. There are very few products as instantly recognisable as a pint of Guinness – it’s the ‘black stuff’ after all. Guinness use this visual identity in every aspect of their instantly recognisable marketing efforts. (Put your birthday in to prove you’re legal to view the page and it will take you there.) Are your brand and communications as visually distinctive?
2. Guinness is unmistakable. Guinness is not easily compared to any other brand of beer. Guinness is different. Which, of course, is good news for Guinness as people aren’t passionate about sameness. People are passionate about products and services that are distinctive. How easily could yours be compared with the competition?
3. Guinness is part of a larger community and brand – brand Ireland. Walk into any souvenir shop in Ireland and you’ll see as many black and white Guinness t-shirts, mugs and caps as green and white ‘Ireland’ ones. Association with Ireland allows Guinness to piggyback on the positive brand equity of an entire nation and engenders more than a few feelings of ownership in the brand amongst us natives – it’s our brand. Could you do the same with your town, city or state? What about being associated with an event, time of year or activity?
4. Guinness has a great back-story, folklore and heritage. Where you’ve come from (and how you’ve come from it) helps to tell the story of who you are. In Guinness’ case it’s a story stretching from Arthur Guinness in the 18th century, via the ‘Guinness is Good for You’ advertisements of the twenties and thirties, and onto the present day.
Weave in a bit of blarney, a few red herrings (not literally), a good dose of humour plus the occasional old wives’ tale and you have the Guinness story, and brand, in one. And they knowingly play up to it.
Of course, your brand may not be 250 years in the making; but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a story worth talking about.
5. Guinness plays to authenticity and quality. So long as they’re cold, most beers are much the same in most bars. Not so Guinness. Guinness has turned their brewing process into a half science, half leprechaun dust, seasoned and serious craft. They also spend €50 million a year visiting over 11,000 licensed premises to test the quality of the product and instruct the nation’s barmen and women in the fine art of the perfect pour (it takes 119.5 seconds by the way).
The detail and carefully honed impression of craftsmanship encourages a ‘connoisseur’ mentality amongst fans: the perfect glass, the prefect colour, the perfect head, the perfect pint. And, as anyone will tell you, there’s nothing like a pint of Guinness in a real Irish bar (in Ireland of course – Guinness doesn’t like to travel).
More than anything, Guinness has become an experience where the ritual of serving, the story and the feel of the brand are as important as the beer itself. In fact, once initiated you’ll no doubt recognise a gorgeous pint as if it were your first born child, will occasionally speak at length on the importance of the 45-degree pouring angle and will certainly look scornfully at any ill-trained barman who neglects the two-step pouring process.
But where, exactly, will you find that perfect pint of Guinness?
I’ll let you know when I’ve finished looking.
Mark Nagurski is Guinness-drinker, marketer, blogger and freelance writer – the order of which depends largely on the day of the week. Based in Ireland, he is passionate about small business and has worked in the trenches as a marketing consultant and sales manager for over a decade. You’ll find Mark’s daily marketing related rantings, tips and advice at www.reallypractical.com
Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.
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