Brief Explanation

The Chinese are a minority in Malaysia without any preferential treatment. Moreover, 2011 is election year when politicians chase the majority vote, leaving the Chinese feeling more marginalized, and facing continued uncertainty on the economic front. GUINNESS wanted to strengthen emotional ties with its drinkers by reaffirming their Chinese heritage and giving them a boost of confidence. Thus reassuring these bold men that the year would be great.

The Brief

Malaysia is a semi-dark market for alcohol advertising. For GUINNESS, every touchpoint has to engage with the consumer and enhance the brand as a bold drink for bold men. Although GUINNESS is an international brand with Irish origins, it has a long history with Malaysian drinkers of Chinese origin. Chinese New Year is the most important occasion in the year to these drinkers, and therefore the right time for GUINNESS to strengthen ties with them. It was an opportunity to send warm and heartfelt greetings while reinforcing the brand value of confidence.

How the final design was conceived

The Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year by surrounding themselves with lucky symbols and greetings. According to custom, the more you surround yourself with lucky things, the better your year will be. GUINNESS sent its drinkers the most auspicious greeting ever. Not just a card, but a specially-designed calendar whose pages flip to give numerous combinations of auspicious wishes. Thus bringing endless good fortune for the whole year. With well-known Chinese symbols such as pine trees for resilience and goldfish for wealth, combined with an abundance of auspicious wishes, GUINNESS delivered a heartfelt greeting that strongly resonated with its drinkers.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The unique calendar of auspicious wishes proved so popular, GUINNESS needed a second print run.