For 170 years, Guinness never advertised. The beer did the talking. But in 1929, the Guinness family agreed that the brand could run ads… as long as the advertising was as good as the beer. Its long-running “Made of More” campaign highlights the incredible true story of the Japanese women’s rugby team, Liberty Fields RFC. Brand Masters of Storytelling 2 tells the story of the Guinness “Made of More” campaign.

The Guinness “Made of More” campaign was a multi-year global marketing platform launched in 2012 by the advertising agency AMV BBDO. Designed to shift the brand’s focus from a static “perfect pint” image to stories of substance, character, and extraordinary individuals, the campaign positioned Guinness as a “beer for people made of more”.

A very simple and very effective stipulation. In February 1929, the first official Guinness ad appeared in the national British press with the slogan ‘Guinness is Good for You’.

Now, after a journey from toucans and surfers to ‘Sapeurs’ and countless ‘first sips’, it’s fair to say that Guinness advertising has captured the hearts and minds of generations. As Brian Sibley writes in his book ‘Guinness Advertising’, ‘Guinness has always been the hero of its own advertising. Quite simply, Guinness advertising has become an institution – like tea, cricket, and fish and chips.’

There are few brands that have ever reached the level of fandom and love as that of a pint of ‘the black stuff’ from Ireland.

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The film begins in 1989 Tokyo, showing the gender expectations for women at the time and how the female players defied those social conventions to represent their country at the Women’s World Cup.

The campaign expanded the brand identity to convey that both the drink itself—with its complex brewing and distinct, bold taste—and its drinkers transcend the ordinary. It became one of the most effective communication platforms in Guinness’s history, winning top honors at the IPA Effectiveness Awards. The campaign ran successfully as the brand’s core messaging platform until 2019.

Guinness’ 2024 Christmas campaign left the Irish stout unavailable in many parts of the UK and drove an 18 percent increase in beer sales for its parent company, Diageo, over the period. It is a drink that, even after 266 years, continues to attract new consumers while retaining lifelong ones.

All you have to do is search ‘Guinness ad’ online, and you will find a world of delicious creativity and artwork. That’s how Arthur might have described his beers, and with as many awards for the ads as for the beer itself, the family’s only rule has clearly been upheld!

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Niall McKee, Head of Guinness Stout Europe at Diageo, told Campaign: “We found the story of Liberty Fields and felt it captured the ‘Made of more’ campaign brilliantly. It was highly relevant to what’s going on in the world right now, especially in light of this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan. It felt like a natural, authentic story for Guinness to tell in that context.”

Instead of focusing solely on product perfection, the campaign leaned into emotional, human-centric storytelling. Notable advertisements include:

• Cloud (2012): The launch TV commercial features a lone, unconventional cloud that defies the wind to embark on its own journey across the city, acting in extraordinary ways.
•  Sapeurs (2014): One of the most famous spots follows a group of ordinary working men in the Republic of the Congo who transform into dapper, vibrantly dressed gentlemen. It highlights their choice to exude elegance, positivity, and extraordinary style despite their daily circumstances.
• John Hammond (2016): A spot that highlights the real-life music producer who broke boundaries by bringing black and white musicians together on stage during an era of deep segregation.
• Liberty Fields (2019): Tells the remarkable true story of a group of women who defied social conventions to form a competitive, indomitable rugby team in 1980s Japan.

You might not know his name, but you’ll certainly know his art, from the iconic Guinness Toucan to the mischievous, stout-drinking Ostrich. John Gilroy was a polymath in the world of painting, with a mind unlike his peers’. For this reason, the Guinness campaigns he brought to life from the 1930s to the 1960s remain as distinctive today as they were then.

The idea of using animals to advertise Guinness first occurred to Gilroy after visiting the circus. While watching a performing sealion, he had the curious thought that the animal would be smart enough to balance a glass of Guinness on its nose! Alas, that idea became the concept for one of the world’s longest-running advertising campaigns, “My Goodness, MY GUINNESS.”

Brand Masters of Storytelling 2, written by Tor Kjolberg
All images © Guinness.
Other articles on storytelling by Tor Kjolberg:
My 12 Survival Techniques as a Storyteller
Brand Masters of Storytelling
How to Use Humor in Storytelling to Break Through Advertising Clutter
Leaders Who Shape Stories Shape Markets
A Brand’s In-House Storytelling Library