Guinness and the Power of Advertising: Building an Irish Icon

During our last trip to Ireland, wandering the streets of Cork and Dublin, I found myself snapping photo after photo of classic Guinness signs outside nearly every pub. Those signs—some faded, some gleaming—got me thinking about how advertising is just one of the ways Guinness has become woven into the fabric of Irish life and identity.

Guinness: The Pint That Didn’t Always Need Advertising

Here’s a real ah-hah I had when researching Pints and Power: For much of its history, Guinness didn’t advertise at all. The brand grew through a network of independent bottlers and merchants, who sold Guinness (often under their own labels) directly to pubs and customers. People may not ever even have realized they were drinking Guinness; the product’s quality and reputation did the talking long before the brand itself caught up.

Edward Cecil Guinness believed that advertising was a wasteful indulgence and unworthy of a product that should speak for itself. For years, he let the pint’s reputation and word-of-mouth do all the work. And it worked: Guinness became one of Ireland’s most consumed drinks, purely on the strength of the liquid and the loyalty of its fans.

The Shift: When Modern Times Demanded a New Voice

But by the late 1920s, the world was changing. Competitors were getting louder, and modern media was everywhere. Rupert Guinness saw that to keep up—and to outclass the competition—Guinness had to evolve. That’s when S.H. Benson, a London ad agency, was brought in to give Guinness its first advertising voice.

The Birth of Guinness Advertising: Giving the Pint a Personality

The now-iconic tagline—"Guinness is Good for You"—was born out of a simple survey in Dublin pubs. This wasn’t just marketing; it was a new chapter for Guinness, making people feel like they belonged to something bigger than themselves.

John Gilroy & The Whimsical Guinness Animals

Soon after, artist John Gilroy’s whimsical, surreal ads—think toucans, lions, and sea lions—became instantly recognizable. These weren’t just campaigns; they were stories you wanted to join. Gilroy’s imagery turned Guinness into a passport of identity, as much about belonging as about taste.

Guinness Advertising as Irish Heritage

Decades later, those ads and the visuals I saw in Cork have become pub staples—mirrors, posters, trays, and coasters. They aren’t just advertisements; they’re mirrors of Irish identity, weaving humor and nostalgia into every pour. Today, it’s impossible to picture Guinness without its iconic animals and vintage designs.

The Guinness Archive: Preserving the Legacy

St. James’s Gate in Dublin houses the Guinness Archive, a treasure trove of historic ads, posters, and memorabilia. Online resources like the Guinness Archive Online Repository is an amazing resource that allows anyone to explore how Guinness art shaped Irish culture and community.

Guinness Collectors: Guinntiques & Global Nostalgia

Fans worldwide collect vintage trays, signs, and memorabilia. These items capture the heart of Irish pub culture and show how Guinness advertising became a global symbol of belonging. Check out Guinntiques.com, the online home to The Guinness Collectors Club.

Why Guinness Advertising Still Matters

Even though advertising is just one thread in Guinness’s story, its art and slogans are now living heritage. Those painted animals and witty lines still guard the gates of Irish pubs everywhere. Proof that a good story—and a good pint—never really settles.

Want More? Dive Deeper with Pints and Power

This story is just a taste of the rich, layered history explored in the Pints and Power project. The book goes beyond the ads—uncovering the rituals, songs, and personal stories that make Guinness a living symbol of Irish identity. If you’re curious for more, consider joining as a member or grabbing a copy of the book for exclusive chapters, behind-the-scenes content, and deeper dives into the culture behind the pint.

“These weren’t just advertisements. They were mirrors of identity—images that felt as Irish as the pint itself.”

Art and life are often in conversation, each reflecting and shaping the other. Guinness is a perfect example—what started as a simple drink became a source of inspiration for artists, storytellers, and everyday people alike. Over time, Guinness grew into something much larger: not just a beverage, but an icon, a brand, a promise, and a part of Irish identity. The culture around the pint and the stories told about it helped shape what Guinness means today.

The following excerpt from “Guinness and the Storytellers” is part of Chapter 5 – Guinness in the Modern Irish Imagination and it explores how reputation, word-of-mouth, and the creative spirit surrounding Guinness helped build its legend—long before the arrival of famous ad campaigns.

GUINNESS AND THE STORYTELLERS

Writers drink it. Artists reference it. Musicians toast with it. Not because they’re told to—but because it belongs. Guinness doesn’t chase attention. It lingers in the background, steady as a rhythm. You won’t always notice it, but when you do, it feels like it was always meant to be there.

That presence wasn’t built by ad campaigns or corporate slogans—not at first. In its earliest decades...

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Settle in. THIS pint won’t drink itself.

– Mike