Guinness Unveils Exciting St. Patrick’s Day Promotion

New Lucky Sundays Program by Guinness

Guinness, owned by Diageo, has introduced a fun new program called Lucky Sundays to mark each Sunday before St. Patrick's Day. This initiative is a playful way to acknowledge that this year's holiday falls on Sunday, March 17.

Lucky Sundays offers various activities that can be accessed through a special landing page and a fun Guinness Together augmented reality (AR) experience. In addition, the popular Irish dry stout brand will be making stops in cities like Cincinnati, Ohio, Charleston, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York.

Guinness has partnered with Ancestry, a family history tracking platform, to help consumers trace their connections to the iconic Guinness Storehouse using digitized records. The Lucky Sundays initiative began on Feb. 18 with a collaboration with football legend Joe Montana for a charitable event held in Baltimore.

Article Insight:

Guinness is celebrating St. Paddy's Day in a big way this year with their Lucky Sundays program. Since the holiday falls on a Sunday, they have a special lineup of events planned. The program started off with a partnership with football legend Montana, who joined a Guinness Gives Back Community Service Event at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore last month.

Under Lucky Sundays, there will be exciting events featuring sports stars and celebrity chefs. One highlight is the Irish Village celebration hosted by Guinness at Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore on the weekend of March 9 and during St. Patrick’s Day weekend. You can also catch Guinness at parades and celebrations in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Savannah, Georgia.

In addition, there will be a Guinness Gives Back Service Event with Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 3. If you're in Charleston, South Carolina, you can enjoy a Lucky Sundays brunch with chef Dennis Prescott on the same day. Another brunch event will take place in Brooklyn, New York on March 10 with James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi. And don't forget to join Guinness as the official sponsor of the Chicago River dyeing and Chicago parade on March 16.

Guinness is teaming up with chefs Onwuachi and Prescott to share exclusive brunch recipes at Guinness Open Gate Breweries in Baltimore and Chicago, as well as other participating bars. They have also collaborated with Tipsy Scoop, a maker of alcoholic ice cream, to create a special limited-edition flavor.

For those enjoying Guinness at home, the brand will be hosting weekly giveaways on social media. Fans can participate in an augmented reality (AR) experience on the Lucky Sundays landing page, where they can virtually place a pint of Guinness in any location of their choice and share the image online. This interactive feature is designed to generate more online buzz and engagement.

Consumers now have the opportunity to explore their connection with the Guinness brand through a partnership with Ancestry. This partnership was made possible by digitizing 1.4 million records from the Guinness Storehouse archive. These records contain information about St. James Gate Brewery employees, including details like home addresses, occupations, earnings, leaves of absence, and more. The collection spans from 1799 to 1939, a period when Guinness was the largest private-sector employer in Ireland. Access to these digitized records will begin on March 8.

With 31.5 million Americans of Irish descent, St. Patrick’s Day becomes a significant time for brands to tap into consumers' interest in their heritage. Guinness, a globally recognized Irish brand, serves as a link for many individuals to their roots. The Lucky Sundays program and the collaboration with Ancestry provide an opportunity for all consumers to participate, regardless of their proximity to a Storehouse.

St. Paddy’s Day is a big deal for Irish brands looking to shine in the U.S. Jameson, owned by Pernod Ricard, also joined in on the festivities, which happened to fall on a Sunday. But unlike Guinness, Jameson decided to go against the Sunday trend, urging people to enjoy the holiday on Saturday instead.

Editor's P/S:

The Lucky Sundays program by Guinness offers an exciting lineup of events and activities to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The partnership with Ancestry allows consumers to explore their Irish heritage, while the augmented reality experience adds an interactive element to the festivities. Guinness's commitment to community service events and collaborations with celebrity chefs and sports stars further enhances the program's appeal, making it a memorable way to celebrate the holiday.

The article highlights the importance of St. Patrick's Day as a marketing opportunity for Irish brands in the U.S. Guinness's Lucky Sundays program demonstrates the brand's ability to adapt to the unique circumstances of the holiday falling on a Sunday, while still maintaining its festive spirit. By incorporating a variety of activities, partnerships, and experiences, Guinness has created a comprehensive program that appeals to a wide audience and positions the brand as a central part of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.