Will beer drinkers buy a lighter Guinness?
When most Canadians hear “Guinness,” they think of St. Patrick’s Day and the 250-year-old Irish stout famous for its malty flavour. But Diageo hopes to change that with the Canadian launch of Guinness Black Lager, the company’s first attempt at a beer that can compete directly with premium imports like Heineken and Carlsberg.
Diageo boasts that Black Lager “combines the roasted barley flavour that Guinness Draught is famous for with a crisp new approach.” It’s billed as light beer that will appeal to average drinkers while staying true to Guinness’s identity as a quality brewer.
Guinness Canada is planning a heavy marketing push this summer with samplings at retail stores, pubs and beer festivals across the country. Experiential efforts will be coordinated by Vibrant Ideation and Marketing. Toronto-based Traffik Group will handle TV, digital, print and outdoor advertising, and North Strategic will work on PR.
Although Canadian ads haven’t been released yet, U.S. commercials may give a hint of what’s in store. The sleek “Black Dress” commercial shown below portrays Black Lager at an upscale, black-tie nightclub beverage in the hands of Boardwalk Empire‘s Jim Huston and fashion model Stephanie Garcia.
Geoff Kosar, Guinness Canada’s marketing director, said that the Canadian marketing campaign will focus more on the beer’s identity as a lager than the ads in the U.S., because market research shows Canadians are more beer-aware.
“Canadians love beer and they love lager,” Kosar said. “Our campaign will focus on how Guinness Black Lager adds taste to the category, and that lager does not have to be pale straw or golden in colour. We want to celebrate how our lager is different, less typical.”
The new product was tested in Ireland, the U.S. and Malaysia in 2010 and released in the U.S. last year. Guinness’ more well-known, heavier-tasting Irish stout has only ever been a niche player in Canada’s $9 billion-a-year beer market, which is dominated by lighter pilsners and lagers. While this new beer is light in flavour, the same roasted barley used in Guinness Draught gives it a colour and head similar to the original.
“We believe it is true to what consumers love and recognise about the Guinness brand – a dark colour and rich taste,” Kosar said.
Guinness has had difficulty with brand extensions in the past. Attempts at popular ales, lagers and pilsners haven’t caught on – Guinness Brite Ale and Lager in the ’50s, Guinness Light in the ’80s, Guinness Gold and Guinness Breo in the ’90s, and most recently Guinness Red in the U.K. in 2007, have all been withdrawn within a few years of release.
The company has also been feeling the impact of falling consumption rates in its home markets in Ireland and the U.K. According to statistics gathered by the Brewers of Europe, beer consumption in the U.K. dropped 38% between 2003 and 2011. Even in Ireland, famous for its pub life, consumption dropped 13%. According to Diageo, sales of Guinness dropped 4% by volume in Europe last year.
However, Diageo is reporting sales growth in North America, recording a 9% increase in 2012 over the 3% it recorded in 2011 – hinting at the reason why Black Lager may have hit shelves on this side of the Atlantic first.
