Guinness’ campaign, ‘The world’s cup’ is a twist on the 1990 classic ad when Ireland reach the final tournament.
Guinness has released its 2026 Fifa World Cup campaign – and it’s one of Affiliate Leaders’ favourite.
The ad features a couple, sitting drinking Guinness in a pub. The pair then poke two small holes into the head of each of their pints (Guinness, of course). The camera swiftly cuts to the drinks themselves, where the two holes have formed eyes, and another forms a mouth, which promptly screams: “Gooooaaaaaallllllll”.
It finishes with the couple doing a friendly ‘cheers’ with the words, “the world’s cup”.
This is a play on the 1990 ad campaign, The world’s cup… well in hand, when Ireland first reached the World Cup. The ad is also a nod to the highly popular Guinness Holding out for a zero 2023 ad with the singing Guinnesses, which featured a very similar concept, with the drinks singing a rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s Holding out for a Hero.
“[Football] is at its best when everyone feels part of it, and Guinness has always stood for that same spirit of togetherness,” said Karissa Downer, director of Guinness.
“Whether you’re an avid supporter or simply here for a good time, Guinness makes game day feel more welcoming, more connected and more memorable,” she added.
The campaign has been rolled out across social media and out-of-home, with limited-edition packaging throughout the summer.
Guinness will also be doing activations in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Leaders take
The ad totals 14 seconds, and is simple and effective. It doesn’t feature any celebrities, flashy features, or shiny, eye-catching graphics.
Instead, the ad leans on over 250 years of carefully and meticulously built brand identity. The colours outside of the pint glass are muted and neutral, but the iconic black and white outline of the drink, and the golden glow of the harp, shines through.
Guinness is one of the most successful examples of brand identity in the world, with the iconic black and white ratio is recognisable instantly, no matter the surroundings.
While this isn’t one of the most creative campaigns we’ve seen from Guinness, it is still a compelling ad. Guinness is well aware of the playful and interactive nature of its drink (splitting the G, for example).
Other ad campaigns have been more inventive with their brand recognition tactics, but the video element of the ad, along with the classic football celebration make for a fun and memorable campaign.
