St. Patrick’s Day not only embodies a celebration of Irish culture but also presents a golden opportunity for brands to leverage their marketing efforts in creative and engaging ways. Businesses across various industries eagerly embrace the festive spirit to connect with their audience and enhance brand visibility, particularly within the alcohol industry.
Guinness, the iconic Irish stout, holds a special place in the hearts of many during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. As one of Ireland’s most renowned exports, Guinness has become synonymous with the holiday, embodying the spirit of Irish culture and camaraderie. Guinness takes centre stage at pubs, bars, and gatherings around the world. Each year, St. Patrick’s Day gives Guinness the opportunity to expand their global reach. This year, Guinness ran a US tour, the Lucky Sundays Program, where they would host a celebration on the Sundays leading up to March 17th. Events included community service activations calling in big names such as NFL legend Joe Montana, to help support and promote the brand.
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Jameson ran a bus tour all through London for St. Patricks Day weekend. The bus was fully decked out in the iconic Irish green, making hard for the general public to miss it. Jameson held a competition prior to the bus tour and winners enjoyed their tour with the company of Irish comedian and actress Aisling Bea, who was their tour guide over the weekend. The bus was licensed and complete with a fully stocked Jameson bar.
Kahlua decided to shake the trend to promote espresso martinis as the drink of choice over a traditional Guinness to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The brand conducted a study prior to the holiday and discovered that 60% of England would rather drink an espresso martini over a stout to celebrate this day. With this, they decided to remind drinkers that they don’t have to settle for the norm and worked in collaboration with pubs and venues across the UK and Ireland offering free espresso martinis and merchandise.
19 Crimes brought back the limited edition ‘stout stye’ blend, first introduced last year. The wine packaging display’s Ireland’s John Devoy who is considered one of 19 Crimes’ most notorious rogues. He was the instigator of the Catalpa rescue, one of ‘the most daring prison escape in Australian history’, well and truly earning his face on the packaging of the Irish blend.
Baileys came in on the action with limited edition mint flavour blends. In particular, the Mint Choc Shake was created to included Baileys Original Irish Cream with fresh mint, dark chocolate and vanilla flavours. The celebration of St. Patrick’s Day was also seen in the design and mint green colour of the bottle.
Aviation Gin, cofounded by Actor Ryan Reynolds, created special St. Patrick’s Day cocktails to indulge in the celebration. The naming of the new cocktails had an Irish twist to them, including, Ginness Butteredberr, Clovers and Cream as well as Pot O’Gold.
Even beer brands, such as Bud Light, used St. Patrick’s day to change up their package and bottles to show their celebration of the national holiday. Limited edition bottles were brought into bars and venues all across the US to increase their consumer engagement.
By incorporating St. Patrick’s Day themes into their marketing strategies, brands can tap into the widespread enthusiasm surrounding the holiday and create connections with consumers on a stronger level.
