This safe drinking campaign makes a refreshing change. Moderation messages usually lurk unconvincingly in the small print — “drink responsibly” or “stop when the fun stops” — but this Guinness ad by AMV BBDO flat out suggests we drink water instead of booze.
It’s not just any water, though, this is Guinness Clear. It’s 100 per cent H2O.
The glossy TV ad uses all the clichés of traditional beer ads, complete with slow motion product shots and satisfied drinkers reacting with delight to the amazing taste of tap water. It’s directed by Tom Kuntz, famous for Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial.
As part of the “launch,” Guinness Clear will introduce branded water fountains and a “sampling” campaign to keep people hydrated at rugby matches during the Six Nations tournament, which starts this weekend.
Rugby players Lawrence Dallaglio and Brian O’Driscoll get their own Guinness Clear. Both men look like they enjoy a drink, but here they do a good job of looking excited to try the new product — once they’ve let it settle, of course.
Mark Sandys, global head of beer, Baileys and Smirnoff at Diageo, said: “We want to make sure that ordering water, no matter the context, is an active and positive choice by the millions of fans who will be watching and attending the Guinness Six Nations.”
MAA creative scale: 8
