Illustration Annual
Following on from our highly acclaimed Annual, and Photography Annual we are launching a version
just for Illustration
CR Blog
A new Guinness ad is brought to life
Posted by Gavin Lucas, 4 November 2009, 12:45 Permalink Comments (59)
For the best part of ten years, Guinness ads bearing the slogan Good Things Come To Those Who Wait have worked wonders for the drinks brand, garnering fans of both the drink and its advertising around the world. However, tonight a new TV commercial - created by the brand's long serving agency Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO - will air that sees a new campaign line, Bring It To Life, make its debut...
The ad, entitled World (still shown above), sees a group of men playing god and creating a world of their own: Canyons are carved, forests erected and waterfalls are, erm, encouraged - the idea being that this world-creation is a metaphor for the famous surge and settle motion of a pint of Guinness and the way it comes alive in front of your eyes when poured.
Here is the full 90 second edit for your delectation:
Of the new approach for Guinness' advertising, this is what AMV's executive creative director, Paul Brazier, had to say:
"Good Things Come To Those Who Wait ran for ten triumphant years. However every advertising campaign has a natural lifecycle. ‘Good Things’ was firmly rooted in the experience of drinking in a pub, yet Guinness is also increasingly popular at home and we wanted to find out how we could persuade more people to experience Guinness wherever they were.
"The answer, we believed, lay in another product truth – the fact that Guinness does not pre-exist in a container waiting to be poured. Instead it comes to life in front of your eyes. The liquid hits the bottom of the glass. There’s an explosion of energy. Clouds form - churning, swirling and surging. They defy gravity, moving downwards and then upwards, leaving behind perfect Guinness. At the same time, almost by magic, a creamy white head forms on the drink. When the process finishes something amazing has been created.
"If we could capture this thought we could start to get people to see Guinness, and therefore the Guinness occasion, in a new light - as a drink full of energy, colour and life appropriate for any lively, enriching drinking occasion.
"Thus the line ‘Guinness. Bring It To Life’ was born. Based on a product truth which reframes the drink making it more contemporary and relevant to a new audience and the way they now consume alcohol. A thought that can encompass more than advertising - experiential, digital - and can live wherever and whenever Guinness is drunk.
"World is the first significant Guinness TV commercial to carry the line. So it not only has to meet the standard set by previous Guinness ads, but also to introduce and explain this new thought. We wanted it to be a big and bold first step. And what could be bigger than showing a group of men building a world – bringing it to life.
"It was important that the film looked real, so we shot as much as possible in camera, in a number of locations – New Zealand, Fiji and Canada. The director was Johnny Green and the directors of photography were Wally Pfister (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) in the Southern hemisphere and Joost Van Gelder in the Northern."
The new ad will break tonight in HD on Sky Sports 2 HD during the Champions League Liverpool vs Olympique Lyonnais match at 8.45pm. It will play out on ITV1 during the Champions League Arsenal v AZ Alkmaar match around the same time.
World credits
Director – Johnny Green
Executive Producer - N/A
Producer – Fergus Brown
Advertising Agency - Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
Creative – Paul Brazier
Agency Producer – Yvonne Chalkley
Production Company - Knucklehead
Director of Photography - Wally Pfister / Joost Van Gelder
Music – composed by Peter Raeburn and Nick Foster at Soundtree called 'Cathartic Waltz'
TV Sound Design / mix - Raja Sehgal & Munzie Thind at Grand Central Studios
Cinema mix - Raja Sehgal at Grand Central Studios
CGI – The Mill, London
So a big production and a spanky new strapline... but is the ad any good? Your thoughts and comments please...
59 Comments
I am nauseated to think that they are comparing buying a pint of Guinness to something as marvelous and beautiful as creating a world.
Basically I agree with everything David Foster Wallace has to say about advertising.
2009-11-04 13:14:11
The music doesn't seam to quite fit with the advert but I really like the ad. Pulling the grass over the mud like a sheet is a really good scene.
2009-11-04 13:35:11
The creative director gives us a brilliantly logical reason as to why this is the best idea for the client.
2009-11-04 14:16:10
And god said, "Fiat Guinness." Probably did, too.
2009-11-04 14:22:21
I really like, a return to form. Sound concept. Really want a Guinness now.
2009-11-04 14:40:54
It's epic alright, but I agree, the soundtrack doesn't quite fit and the comparison between a pint of guinness settling and the creation of the world is just....... well, way too far fetched/tenuous for me!
Shame though, there's some stunning scenes in there.
Nice try but a definite FAIL in my book.
2009-11-04 14:51:22
Very powerful advert, but it wasn't until I read the explanation that I then understood why it had anything to do with Guiness.
2009-11-04 14:52:57
In my opinion you have to consider the masses who will see this. They wont be given the detailed creative rationale above and I dont think for a minute they will automatically make this association. On that front, this ad fails. Theres no arguing that its beautiful cinematography and is engaging to watch but the message, for me, is lost. I'm all for change, our industry depends on it, but make sure you consider the lowest common denominator. People dont like to be made to feel stupid because they dont get it. I fear this might do this.
2009-11-04 14:57:33
the last three seconds were the best part of the ad. show me a whirling, swirling guinness and i want to drink one. the rest of the ad, for me, was like, er, whatever. i suspect it wanted to take on that carlton "big" ad from down under a couple of year ago. whatever happened to beautiful small ads?
2009-11-04 14:58:22
It's terrible. The worst kind of masturbatory advertising, pissing the client's money up the wall trying to win awards while spectacularly failing to deliver one product benefit. 'Good things come to those who wait' had a definite link to the product. 'Bring it to life' is a generic marketing line - the brief becomes the advertising. It could fit any number of products - remember Orangina - 'Shake the bottle, wake the drink.' And Mr Brazier contradicts himself here. If he's trying to connect with home drinkers then "Guinness does not pre-exist in a container waiting to be poured," is not really true is it? Unless I'm imagining that can in my fridge. As someone else said, Mr Brazier isn't going to be there to explain the idea to everyone who sees it, and in my book, that means it fails. It looks great, the effects and direction are great, but as an ad it just doesn't work.
Everything that's wrong in the world of advertising (and fine art too actually) today.
2009-11-04 15:30:47
As an ad itself it looks ok, nothing really groundbreaking and the line and the product aren't really tied togheter by the visuals. Plus, the idea of people building up the world looks very inspired from Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy (either book and movie).
2009-11-04 16:08:25
I think some of you are being a bit patronising to the intended audience. When you order a Guinness you look at it whilst it's being poured, waiting for it to separate and take the black/white form we all love. I think it's a pretty simple concept, and I don't think it'll get lost in translation as some of you suggest.
Is it as good as 'Good things come to those who wait'? No. But I think it connects with the product and the audience. Only time will tell.
2009-11-04 16:10:29
It made me want to drink a Guiness, so yeah, it worked
2009-11-04 16:11:25
Up until 1:26, it could have been an advert for any brand. At least the 'Good things come to those who wait' strapline was related to drinking Guinness...
2009-11-04 17:20:51
Guiness do it agian, they have a proven record for TV advertising, in fact advertising since the post war years, they have always been at the forefront.
2009-11-04 19:44:06
I think this is epic. Guinness is a big, powerful drink that really does come to life before your eyes.
What could be better at the end of a hard days work, like building the world, for example?
2009-11-04 20:57:39
I really don't get the connection of the ad to building the world but I love the way how it was made. I think this would be best campaign thing for a change. That we can do something for our planet to regain it's beauty that we ourselves ruined.
2009-11-05 02:45:17
I think surfers was as epic Guiness advertising should have got. The problem now is that the brand and creative agencies feel the need to go bigger and better. Now the theme feels too big and grand and false.
2009-11-05 16:47:18
Hi, I'm the Marketing Director for Guiness. Do you think we could spend some more money on our commercial please, this one doesn't look quite expensive enough. Thanks ever so.
2009-11-05 17:14:21
'Good things...' worked in identifying one of the unique characteristics of Guinness - it's the only drink (I can think of) that makes you wait to drink it - and turned this into a huge experiential brand-Brucey-bonus.
'Bring it to life' doesn't say anything about Guinness at all. Even with an explanation it doesn't say anything interesting or new, it just uses the old tag line as a jumping off point into pretentious adland.
It's another step in the same direction, but the problem is that means it's one step further from Guinness.
2009-11-05 17:27:43
ha ha ha ha ha ha you just gave jonny a load of cash to spunk on another style exercise. Still hope you all, (client and agency) enjoyed your holidays. NZ is beautiful this time of year isn't it?
2009-11-06 11:28:38
NIce. Well shot and post produced as always. Although i agree 'Bring it to life' doesn't really have much to do with Guinness by any stretch of the imagination.
2009-11-06 11:43:22
Great ad but how come woman aren't allowed to terraform a planet?
2009-11-06 11:46:27
For me the best copy for Guinness that worked was the 17:59 It’s Guinness Time. The rest is just big words but no real connection.
2009-11-06 11:46:51
My girlfriend is really piss-off with this ad. What, no females... A drink for real men only. Good to see that they know who they're pitching this at... Pathetic is the word she used.
2009-11-06 11:47:50
too pretentious, doesn't represent the brand/product IMO, bit of an exercise in creative self-indulgence by client & agency alike...so it's a 'fail' in my view
2009-11-06 11:48:00
Nice to see big expensive looking TV commercials are still being made during a recession. Mind you, if there's any brands that are still making money these days, it's the booze brands. Nice work on the line - a bit less literal than usual Guinness ads.
2009-11-06 12:02:22
The re seems to be a rather mixed message that tries to say Guinness is also involved in saving the planet. The drink tastes like mud but that's as close as it gets for me.
Tis beautifully shot but with a different tag line could be for shampoo and conditioner or a car or virtually any product. It's more about the budget than a good ad, perhaps they should go the whole hog and commission a film.
Nice for the cinematographers, directors and agency books though and sheer jealousy that I didn't get to go and shoot some stills to go with it.
2009-11-06 12:04:06
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.
2009-11-06 12:05:45
Calm down it's only a commercial
2009-11-06 12:06:50
Well, Guinness is sold all over the world.... a fairly neat line, but how will it translate... shades of 'Pepsi raises your relatives from the dead' if they're not careful! Rather grand advert, a big claim, can Guinness really save the world? That's what I first thought then I had to read the blurb below to get the message about the product coming to life when your pour it, so for that reason I think the line works but the ad fails a little. For me - they are not creating life - they are playing God and making everything artificial and not quite as good as nature as humans tend to do. Time will tell whether it works for them though, it may do - it looks and sounds great, and the line works OK. It will look pretty in a Cinema. Perhaps that's all modern films and Ads are expected to do (Pixar excepted).
2009-11-06 12:13:49
nice idea but the tag line feels a bit nothing. Good things come to those who wait had more charisma.
Im not convinced that that firework created that smoke. The CGI is beautiful but there is some slightly suspect live action fx in there me thinks in my humble opinion.
So easy to criticize though. It is freaking awesome visually.
2009-11-06 12:21:10
An excellent ad for the NZ tourist board.
2009-11-06 12:57:31
Yeah, I do really fancy a Guiness now.
But I am a girl, so I guess that's just not gonna happen? Maybe I'll grab a Yorkie instead. Oh no, hang on...
2009-11-06 13:30:25
The posties are on strike, the public sector are on a pay freeze, the Western world is gripped by recession. It's great to see Guinness leading the way in example setting cost cutting prudence. Beautiful piece of work, but damn well should be for the squillion £$£$ budget ! These guys could have done with just a fraction of that: http://www.realityfootball.org
2009-11-06 14:10:49
It seems that no women are gonna help to create the new world. maybe they should have put a few pregnant women in there, digging some rocks up too (apparently they like a drop of the black stuff )
2009-11-06 14:31:07
It's not very good, full of technique, but no central idea. And has no birds in it except some pigeons.
2009-11-06 14:40:09
Gosh that's a few bob spent there. Beautifully shot, great set pieces esp the moving field but as mentioned by others not the best strapline. Maybe all the girls were behind the camera...
2009-11-06 14:44:57
It's not very good, full of technique, but no central idea. And has no birds in it except some pigeons.
2009-11-06 14:56:41
Is this every agency who don't have the Guinness account commenting on here. : )
2009-11-06 14:56:55
Well, nice cinematography but as a brand message 'Bring it to life' feels more suited to a 6 month lager promotion to me than a long running campaign for a brand that was once the strongest in the world. I suspect it won't last a decade like it's forerunner did.
I feel they've lost their way in recent years as a brand mind, probably through little fault of AMV's. The cans look cheap now, the ads have gone for the epic worldwide appeal as opposed to their clever subtlety and they feel like an everyman's drink instead of the risk taking, inventive oddball leader they once were.
I can imagine the Diageo board room too: "We need something that shows our green credentials 5 years after it was fashionable, so put some grass in there. And those Cadbury's ads went down well so make sure the music is slightly upbeat even if it doesn't entirely fit. And grand, epic cinema feats look good in those football ad breaks don't they, so maybe we could have a mountain or two in there or a bunch of blokes all smiling to one another in slow-mo, because we all know the general public are where it's at these days?"
Result: A whole lot of very good looking nothingness.
Still... Nice work Wally.
2009-11-06 15:32:29
beautiful - but terrible. a cheap rip on the MUCH better coca-cola happiness spots. it's a bit nauseating actually.
2009-11-06 17:47:22
Visuals aside i am irked to no end at the thought that man is somehow responsible for the natural wonders of this world. The arrogant god complex that this ad seems to have is enough to put me off. Especially when one considers human's actual impact on our lovely planet. Am I being too sensitive?
2009-11-06 22:02:08
Brief: Re-cut. Make this ad work in seven seconds.
2009-11-07 11:18:27
plenty of style, no substance. hardly what a pint of guinness represents.
lets see if it lasts a decade...
2009-11-07 13:35:24
Yet another truely epic Guiness spot, beautifully shot and incredible CGI. Think I'll need some time to work out if the big marketing idea is really singing out...
2009-11-07 13:58:13
next we'll see them taking over the galaxy, space dust morphing into the pack shot.
any big budget will make any brand look big.
awful strap line with a post rational to it.
brings the brand down.
2009-11-07 15:17:55
The creative director gives us a brilliantly logical reason as to why this is the best idea for the client.
2009-11-08 19:09:40
more is less
2009-11-08 23:18:26
...and someone sums it all up in three words. Fantastic. Maybe those responsible for the ad should take a leaf out of your book.
2009-11-10 10:02:01
I had a great time working on it
2009-11-11 01:07:59
[Comment deleted by moderator]
2009-12-21 19:38:00
I don't drink beer and I probably never will. Yet, this commercial has made such an impression on me that I would ask friends who drink beer if they liked this brand. Heart-felt thanks to those who were involved in producing this great commercial!
2009-12-27 04:31:56
Just wondering... the music has changed for the TV ad... anyone know what it is?
A friend used to play a much more classical version on guitar...
2010-01-04 13:08:03
Just wondering... the music has changed for the TV ad... anyone know what it is?
A friend used to play a much more classical version on guitar...
2010-01-04 13:09:53
I saw the hole they dug in the ground for the underwater shots. Could have been anywhere (as in England) so why was it in New Zealand? As for the mountains ... they could have been in Wales or Scotland! ... As for the All Blacks ... the smile on their faces says it all and it has nothing to do with Guinness and more to do with the hefty fee they were paid ... Four months to do the CGI on the fish in the underwater scene!!! ... they could have done it live in Kelly Tarlton's underwater Aquariam in Auckland (or any Aquariam in England)for a fraction of the price ... what does CGI tell you ... it aint natural, which means the director / writer doesn't have the imagination or skills to make it real ... and again as mentioned up above - where are all of the girls? ... There wasn't a character under thirty years of age ... what about building a brand for the younger generation to embrace ... come on guys it aint rocket science!!
2010-01-07 02:34:59
Well I am disappointed with the new music. Anyone knows what that nice banjo-tune was in the first version?
2010-01-22 23:47:22
Finally seen this one on TV! Bravo to the Guiness PR team... I wonder how much this cost them. and Meh. Guiness IS like creating the world.
2010-01-26 15:53:54
Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO should run the country x x x i love Guinness
2010-02-26 11:56:14
Get the RSS Feed
More like this
Articles:
- Blog: Fresh, Fresher, Freshest, Freshershist
- Blog: YouTube and creative suicide
- Blog: iGlass mate? That'll be extra
- Blog: Radar Detector and more Nice Work
- Blog: Yes, it IS rocket science
- Blog: Move over Ronaldo, Ichi-GO is here
- Blog: Philips offers clues to Carousel follow-up
- Crit: Traditional advertising vs digital
12041
Most recently commented
| Seb Lester's new JD Salinger book jacket designs (19) |
| Richard Murray: 1965 – 2010 (12) |
| Folding Plug wins Design of the Year (3) |
| Dog Days Are Over (12) |
| Fresh, Fresher, Freshest, Freshershist (1) |
Most read
| iGlass mate? That'll be extra |
| The Small Apple |
| Driven by data: McLaren's new site |
| Decision time for the RCA |
| MTV channel idents |
Subjects
| Advertising | (643) | |
| Art | (186) | |
| Books | (137) | |
| Digital | (201) | |
| Graphic Design | (529) | |
| Illustration | (248) | |
| Magazine / Newspaper | (94) | |
| Music Video / Film | (497) | |
| Photography | (184) | |
| Type / Typography | (130) |
