Brands Get Into the Irish Spirit for St. Patrick’s Day

Coming from a large, 100% Irish American family, we have always embraced and celebrated our Irish heritage, even more so around the time of St. Patrick’s Day. Some of my favorite memories as a kid involve Irish Step Dancing my way through the month of March at countless events and parades celebrating the culture of the Emerald Isle. Although I have since traded in my Irish Step Dancing shoes for a pint of Guinness (or two), this time of year is still a time for fun and celebration.

As many Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, many brands also use the holiday to jump in on the Irish fun. As they say, everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! St. Patrick’s Day can be a great marketing opportunity for businesses big and small, with WalletHub predicting that over 56% of Americans plan to celebrate the holiday this year. While small businesses likely don’t have huge budgets to spend on the big day, these Irish themed campaigns from bigger brands can give you some creative inspiration and get you into the Irish spirit.

Tullamore Dew

While this commercial was not created as part of a St. Patrick’s Day Marketing Campaign, I could not leave it off this list, as it is so authentically Irish and one of my favorite commercials of all time. The commercial for Tullamore Dew, an Irish Whiskey, focuses on a group of four young men who seem to have just lost a brother or close friend. The hauntingly beautiful music you will hear is the song “The Parting Glass” which is a traditional Irish tune often sung at the end of an Irish gathering. The music along with the rainy scenes of a church and a cemetery tug at the heartstrings of viewers believing the men have lost someone, however, a comedic twist at the end leaves the viewers with a smile on their face.

The video does an awesome job of capturing the viewer’s attention and setting a mood with the emotional music and scenery. Although the advertisement was created by a New York agency, the authentic Irish theme and traditional music quickly made it a favorite among the Irish.

Airbnb & Guinness


Do you think you’re the ultimate Guinness fan? Well if Airbnb agrees, you may have the chance to spend the night in the 258-year-old brewery itself. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Airbnb recently announced a competition where they will pick a lucky winner who has entered the contest and explained why they are the world’s biggest Guinness fan. The winner and a guest get to spend the night in the famous Gravity Bar located on top of the Guinness Storehouse. The Gravity Bar will be transformed into a fully equipped loft apartment complete with a “perfect-pint” shaped bed, a butler, tours, endless accommodations, and a panoramic view of Dublin. Sign me up!

While your business may not be able to run a contest to send the winners to Dublin to spend the night in a famous brewery, running a St. Patrick’s Day contest can be a great way to get your customers into the St. Paddy’s Day spirit.

Heineken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stHB7lYq0eU

As most American’s pretend to be Irish on March 17th every year, Dutch beer brand Heineken does as well. A few years ago, the company released a commercial calling Heineken Light “The Official Beer Of St. Patrick’s Day”. The ad includes actor Neil Patrick Harris and a leprechaun who poke fun at the fact that Heineken isn’t even Irish at all. Though the beer brand isn’t from the Emerald Isle, they successfully join in on the holiday, and make fun of themselves along the way.

St. Patrick’s Day is a great way to have some fun, show your brand’s personality, and connect with your customers in a new way. So whether you’re Irish, or just joining Heineken and pretending for the day, raise a glass and celebrate! Sláinte!

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