St. Patrick’s Day: Why the 2020 and 2021 Ads Look so Similar

Last spring, being a marketing industry creative meant scrapping old campaigns and cobbling together footage from old ones to make new, relevant ads for people stuck at home.

But you know who had to do that before anyone else? Alcohol marketers at brands like Jameson and Guinness—which rely on St. Patrick’s Day for sales and promotions. With very little time between the 2020 holiday and when Covid-19 began rocking the US, they were baptized by fire.

Despite the crunch, Jameson and Guinness don’t regret their 2020 St. Patrick’s Day work. In fact, they’re replicating it for 2021.

Guinness pulled from old St. Patrick’s Day parade footage for its March 2020 TV spot, followed by simple text saying Guinness donated $500,000 to those in pandemic-era need.

• Its 2021 spot recycles much of the same footage, soundtrack, and “Give back” messaging…with one major difference: an added call to action (CTA).
• “Bring the pub home to you,” the now-familiar Irish accent says, as a can (rather than a beer tap) pours beer into a pint glass.

Jameson also pledged $500,000 to bartenders in honor of St. Patrick’s Day 2020 through the United States Bartender’s Guild’s emergency assistance program.

• The whiskey brand’s St. Patrick’s Day 2021 strategy isn’t drastically different either. It’s still giving away cash, but this year, it’s for those taking PTO from home.

Why we’re seeing double

E-commerce insights platform MikMak founder and CEO Rachel Tipograph told Marketing Brew that because “intent is high to buy alcohol” during the pandemic and around St. Paddy’s day, alcohol marketers “don't need to worry about creative” right now.

Let’s break that down: Normally, when it comes to driving online sales, top-of-funnel brand marketing converts at a way lower rate than bottom-of-funnel performance marketing. But because demand for buying alcohol online is currently so high, brands are seeing conversion rates for brand and performance campaigns converge.

• Right now, for “brand awareness media you'll see…[about a] 17% e-commerce conversion [rate]. Lower funnel performance: 20%,” Tipograph said.

My takeaway: It’s not that Jameson and Guinness are obsessed with the spots they had to suddenly revamp when the pandemic hit last year—it’s that there’s no reason to spend $$$ improving them.