Ages of Man
An advert symbolising the evolution of taste, as it shows a series of drinking vessels, from a baby bottle of milk to a glass of draft Guinness.
Collection
The Guinness Adverts Project
85 items
Guinness - History of the Cinema
One of several made-for-cinema adverts in the collection where a couple watch pints of Guinness being served in far-flung locations.
Ploughman
This evocative 1970s advert, directed by Ridley Scott, shows a farmer enjoying a well-deserved pub lunch of a sandwich and a pint of Guinness, after a morning’s toil in the fields.
Fisherman
Another cinematic advert with high production values, directed by Tony Scott. A group of men enjoy a slow-paced fishing trip, followed by a few bottles of Guinness in the local pub.
Telepathy
A pet toucan mimics the daily routine of a husband (Anton Rodgers) and wife as he returns home from work. This was the first appearance of the Guinness Toucan in a TV advert since the 1960s.
Head Test
A beautifully composed advert which encourages Guinness drinkers to write their initials into the head of a pint with a biro. The letters remaining visible, while the pint is enjoyed, is proof of the quality.
Take Home Rain
The changing role of women in society can be traced through the collection. In this 1970s advert, a woman braves heavy rain to bring her husband a pint from the pub, unaware that Guinness is now available by bottle for home use. She may feature as the butt of the joke, but soon turns the tables, as we see in the advertisement 'Hop Farm'.
Cocktails
A pair of men convince a barmaid to serve them Guinness in a cocktail bar but are dismayed when the pints arrive decorated with cocktail cherries.
No Demand
A pair of men (one of which is Geoffrey Hayes of children’s TV show Rainbow) enter a pub seeking shelter from the hot weather. To their shock and dismay, there is no cold Guinness available.
Black Pot
The winning shot of a snooker game serves as an analogy for the satisfaction of finishing a pint of Guinness.
Dartboard
A pint of Guinness is poured in a pub as a player successfully hits a bull’s eye in darts.
Kung Fool
A senior Buddhist monk tries to teach a novice about the philosophical benefits of drinking Guinness in this comic riff on the 1970s television series Kung Fu.
Home Sweet Jail
A prison warden discovers a secret fridge of Guinness cans in the cell of an inmate (a young Pete Postlethwaite).
Blacksmith
An innovative and cinematic advert, directed by Ridley Scott, where a blacksmith enjoys a pint of Guinness after a hard day's work.
Perfect Rugby
A rugby team strategise their next game while enjoying pints of Guinness in the pub. This advert foreshadows Guinness’s ongoing sponsorship and support of the game and features appearances by David Garfield, Mike Haywood, William Huw Thomas, and Gareth Gwyn Jones.
Shepherd
A black sheepdog rounds up sheep in a clever visual nod to a pint’s creamy head in this cinematic advert directed by Tony Scott.
Orchestra (Version 2)
A conductor conducts an orchestra to play a Strauss waltz in sync with the opening and drinking of bottles of Guinness.
Join Us
A stylish animated advert in which a lively Guinness-drinking crowd enjoy a singalong. The voiceover is by BBC radio DJ and TV presenter, John Peel.
F.A. Cup
A comic advert in which two men (one of whom is a young Bill Nighy) ask a series of questions to a pet toucan.
Goodness
An advert featuring a colourful kaleidoscope of images of the harvesting and processing of ingredients used in the brewing of Guinness.
Irish Coffee
A playful advert which suggests that the Irish coffee was inspired by Guinness.
Bike
An eccentric inventor, played by Jon Pertwee (pre-Doctor Who), demonstrates his airborne bicycle before crashing into a pub. Here, he enjoys a Guinness which gives him superpowers to fly unaided. This advert was colourised from a black and white original.
Brother
A barman (Leslie Schofield) refuses to serve a chilled pint of Guinness, until the customer’s intimidating brother (Neil McCarthy) appears.
Lease
A striking advert about the 9,000-year lease on the Guinness premises in Dublin; 'six million glasses of Guinness are served every day'.