The legendary advertising slogan Lovely Day for a Guinness rings truer than ever as the beer’s popularity has soared following an increase in the number of people drinking in bars.
The trend became especially noticeable as gamblers subsequently ventured out more COVID-19 pandemic. And the famous Irish stout is especially fashionable among younger drinkers.
According to Joyce He, the company’s U.S. brand director, sales have increased the most in cities with large Irish-American populations.
Areas such as New York City, Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Boston, Massachusetts were among the best performing markets.
The brand has been “disproportionately affected” during the pandemic, but fans looking for a drinking experience have helped drive sales, its marketing boss told the New York Times.
“Americans preferred craft beers. That changed during the pandemic. You looked up and down the bar and everyone was drinking Guinness. Men, women, young and old,” Mike O’Sullivan, owner of New York pubs Hartley’s and Grace’s, told the newspaper.
Sales of Guinness products in bars have gone ‘completely bananas’ and the brand is no longer considered a ‘meal in a glass’.
Guinness is the fastest growing imported beer in the US, based on pub, restaurant and brewery sales in 2023.
The popularity of Guinness is growing in the US as customers increasingly enjoy drinks in bars
Guinness was created after Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease on a brewery in Ireland in 1759.
The brand was in its financial prime worldwide until 2000, when it experienced a decline in sales for the first time in 241 years.
“Most people increasingly prefer mild and sweet mass-produced beers, while beer lovers prefer really bitter to stout,” Camra’s then research director Iain Loe told me. The independent in 2000.
‘Guinness is therefore stuck between a rock and a hard place. It just goes to show that no matter how good the advertising is, it’s the drink itself that determines its success.’
Sales fell even further in 2001, and even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Guinness sales in the US and UK continued to decline.
Diageo, the company that owns the Guinness brand, initially feared the pandemic could trigger damaging, lasting trends.
‘New habits are developing, including making cocktails at home. Some of that will linger,” said then-Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes The Guardian in 2021.
‘But consumer focus on returning to socializing away from home is very high, so as conditions return to normal we expect consumers to return to pubs, bars, restaurants and sporting events, rebalancing our business.’
Guinness was in its global financial boom until 2000, when it experienced a decline in sales for the first time in 241 years
Guinness organic net sales decreased 0.6 percent, primarily due to net sales in Latin America and the Caribbean
Guinness has confirmed that net sales in North America increased by six percent this year.
Guinness was also named the country’s most popular beer for adults and number one in popularity among millennials in the third quarter of this year by YouGov.
Guinness has a noticeably lower alcohol content compared to other beers and changing attitudes to drinking could make it a favorite among younger pubgoers.
The Guinness Draft and Guinness Extra Stout have an alcohol content of 4.2 percent (alcohol by volume) – lower than a ‘standard’ alcoholic drink in the US.
According to the American newspaper, a typical beer in the US contains almost 5 percent alcohol, while wine contains 12 percent National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Celebrities such as Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi have participated in Guinness marketing campaigns, and Jason Momoa collaborated with the brand for the Lovely Day campaign.
“He’s been a big fan of ours for years and we’re obviously big fans of his,” the Guinness US brand director said. Forbes in March 2024.
“But this is more than just a partnership: together with Jason, we are starting a new chapter in our iconic story that will bring Guinness to more people, places and celebrations.”
Jason Momoa filmed a Guinness ad in New Zealand with his mother in 2024
Olivia Rodrigo and Kim Kardashian enjoyed Guinnesses while visiting bars
Other celebrities have gotten a kick out of promoting Guinness through social media trends rather than official marketing campaigns.
One of the biggest trends involving Guinness is ‘splitting the G’, which requires fans to sip the drink so that the line between the beer and the foam is halfway up the ‘G’ on the Guinness logo.
Experts first noticed the trend in 2017 and subsequently spread from London and Ireland to the US.
Guinness drinkers who took part in the trends took photos or videos for social media to prove they completed the task.
Horan and Ed Sheeran also attempted to ‘split the G’ in August 2024. While the “Shape of You” singer was able to do so, the former One Direction member could not.
American actor John Cena later admitted he was ‘ignorant’ when it came to his focus on ‘splitting the G’ this year.
Cena claimed it was ‘heavy’ and ‘hard to drink’ but insisted a Guinness beer was his ‘favorite drink’ during an August 2024 interview.
Other celebrities who showed their love for Guinness this year include Olivia Rodrigo and Kim Kardashian.
Guinness offers more than 20 beers and several non-alcoholic drinks, including Guinness 0.0
Today, Guinness offers more than 20 beers, bars, breweries and restaurants and sells non-alcoholic drinks.
According to a report from YouGov, it is also considered the favorite beer of Americans who earn $150,000 a year.
Nearly two billion pints of Guinness are sold worldwide each year, and approximately 180 million of those pints are in the US.