Guinness
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
The Golden Thread
Problem: The wait is being treated as a defect. If we reframe delay as anticipation, the pour becomes proof of quality and self-control.
Tension: Considered hedonists want pleasure, but not cheap pleasure. They want to feel discerning, not impatient.
Position: For people who savour the moment, Guinness rewards patience because the pour ritual is part of the pleasure.
Platform: Turn the wait from liability to asset. Make delay feel like the price of something worth having.
Definer
The Brief: Guinness was losing relevance with younger drinkers. The 119.5-second pour had become a barrier.
Problem Reframe: The wait is being treated as a defect. If we reframe delay as anticipation, the pour becomes proof of quality and self-control, not an inconvenience.
Category Convention: Beer advertising promises instant refreshment and effortless social ease. No friction between wanting and getting.
Targeter
Audience: Considered Hedonists
Tension: They want pleasure, but not cheap pleasure. They want to feel discerning, not impatient or easily satisfied.
Positioner
Position Statement: For people who savour the moment, Guinness is the pint that rewards patience because the pour ritual is part of the pleasure.
We Are Not: Quick. Convenient. Background refreshment. A sessionable lager in dark clothing.
Strategist
Direction: Turn the wait from liability to asset. Make delay feel like the price of something worth having. Use metaphor and craft, not comedy or speed.
Forge: Territory Exploration
Anticipation
The pleasure is in the waiting. The moment before the moment.
Feel: Cinematic, sensory, quiet confidence
Earned Reward
The best things do not come easy. You wait because it is worth it.
Feel: Philosophical, timeless, parable-like
Ritual
The pour is the ceremony. Every pint has a beginning, middle and end.
Feel: Reverent, craftsmanship, sacred
What The Creatives Made
The creative team chose the Anticipation territory and developed the iconic "Surfer" film, directed by Jonathan Glazer. White horses emerge from waves as a man waits for his pint. The drama is the wait itself.
"Good things come to those who wait."
Why It Worked
- Turned a product negative into a brand positive. The wait became the badge.
- Clear exclusions kept discipline. Guinness could never feel quick or casual.
- Generative territory spawned years of executions without losing coherence.
- Slider discipline: serious, restrained, heritage-leaning throughout.