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20th December 2016
12:18am GMT
Guinness is probably the first brand that comes to mind when you shout the word "Irish" to anyone. It is by far and indeed the most successful unofficial Irish brand to come out of our fair isle. Guinness is now owned by DIAGEO, the world's number 1 drinks producer and distribution company. But throughout the past 70 odd years they've created the most recognisable, groundbreaking and fun ad campaigns. So here are the top 30 great vintage Guinness ads:
This was part of their 'good for you' campaign. The same campaign actually urged customers to 'Have a Guinness when you're tired' or 'have a Guinness a day'.... obviously not quite something they'd endorse today.
A few Guinness fans wrote in to point out that if the Ostrich had in fact drank the glass then it would have been positioned the other way up! John Gilroy (the artist who created most of these campaigns) pointed out that the bird was actually trying to balance the pint on its beak just like the sea lion was in another ad when it slipped down its throat.
The famous Girder made its first appearance in 1934. It was such a popular ad people kept asking for a 'girder' in pubs. Obviously again, this ad contains claims that they'd no longer endorse. We all know it won't make us strong, but carrying girders will!
This Guinness for strength campaign won John Gilroy a standing ovation when the ad first appeared.
Photography has started to replace illustrations at this point. Nearing to the 60's the cult of promoting the young and beautiful was born.
The flying Toucan took off on the small screen- stealing glasses of the black stuff from the RAF mess hall.
Part of the 'My Goodness' campaign and continuing Guinness' obsession with using exotic animals this ad just screams humour.
Probably one of the most memorable campaigns, the simple styling and font is what made this so timeless.
Two heads are indeed better than one in this circumstance.
This wasn't a joke. Doctors genuinely thought Guinness was good for your health because of its high iron content.
The first ever Guinness TV commercial was broadcast on 22nd September 1955. It was the first ever ad ever featured on British TV and ran in conjunction to the launch of ITV.
The Ministry of Information's 'Dig for Victory' campaign was echoed here to join their 'Strength' series.
The smiling head in the pint glass was a familiar feature from the 30's. Encouraging consumers to savour every last drop.
This poster ran during the 1955 British general election campaign. A bit of topical satire.
Far from the traditional marketing, this poster shows consumers what to do- take the bottle and pour it into the glass.
Times we evolving and it was becoming acceptable to show women drinking in advertisements. Also people were moving from the table to the couch.
Playing on the fact that turtles move about slowly, this ad encouraged consumers to have a pint to wake them up!
Advertising during the wartime rationing was a difficult area to enter. Guinness always kept up the humour and in this ad their intention was to keep up morale.
One of the few posters drawn by a female illustrator.
Looks more like a vintage postcard but this old ad is encouraging drinking in social situations.
This ad introduced the Waterford tankard to the media mix. It also was emphasising the big move from bottle to draught.
As WWII was ending, old jokes pioneered by Guinness were recycled with a modern twist.
SH Benson designer Bruce Hobbs came up with this visual gag by cleverly morphing the Guinness brand name.
This poster experiments with split screen technique which was a popular advertising method in the 60's.
One of the most popular from the 'My Goodness My Guinness' campaign this first appeared in printed media and was re-released in 1947 in colour.
The beginning of more sophisticated advertising from Guinness encouraging 'after work' drinks.
In wartime Britain, they turned to the army to show support.
Ran in-line with the re-introduction of the 'girder' to celebrate the 5 million pints of Guinness drank a day in 1960.
This ad showcased the new typeface- the Hobbs face which nicely echoed the 'Wanted' posters of the Wild West.
Due to regulations, they could no longer use their classic slogan so marketeers decided to play around. The public went wild and approved this type of guerrilla marketing.
