AMV Creatives on Delivering a Double Whammy for Guinness

The Guinness Six Nations 2019 kicked off this month, and to mark the event, the brewer's agency, AMV BBDO, was charged with creating not one, but two, very different campaigns.

For Guinness' sensible drinking initiative, they chose to audaciously market bog-standard H2O as a new Guinness-branded product, Guinness Clear, complete with a parody spot which poked fun at classic 'drink advertising' tropes. "Our initial reaction [to being presented with the idea] was excitement, excitement at being able to land a responsible message in such a fun way that would really cut through with consumers," says Colum Campbell, senior brand manager, Guinness Rugby.  

On the other hand, the brand's campaign film for the tournament demanded a classic piece of emotional filmmaking, something which The Purse - based on the true story of two brothers, their rugby-loving mum and a very special trust fund - delivered in spades. 

Below, the creative directors on the campaign, Nick Hulley and Nadja Lossgott, and head of copy Tim Riley tell shots about the unique challenges of the brief.   

Above (l-r): The agency's Nick Hulley, Nadja Lossgott and Tim Riley 

Tell us a bit about the briefs from Guinness - did they come in together or separately?

Nick Hulley and Nadja Lossgott: Both briefs came in at the same time, in the lead up to Christmas. Guinness were confirmed as sponsors of the Six Nations in mid-November and they asked us if we could create a rugby film and a responsible drinking campaign – both to go live on February 1.

Were you working on both briefs at the same time? Was that hard, when tonally the two campaigns are so different?  

Tim Riley: Yes, we worked on both briefs at the same time, so sometimes it took a while to realise which meeting you were in. But to be perfectly honest – who wouldn’t enjoy working on Guinness? To have two Guinness campaigns on the go at once was a bit of a treat.

What made the Toms (Kuntz and Green) the right directors for the jobs? 

N&N: Tom Kuntz is one of the best comedy directors out there so we thought he’d be a good choice for the Clear campaign. His quirky way of seeing the world, and his ability to go over the top without things falling apart felt right to us. The Purse script needed someone who could switch between humour, poignancy and drama. Tom Green is expert at that. We loved his TV work on shows like Misfits, and his spots for Oxfam and Save the Children.

"We thought people were more likely to take notice of the message if it was done in a light-hearted way, rather than a finger-wagging one."

Sensible drinking initiatives can be a hard sell and often tend towards the 'warning'/dark end of the spectrum, what made you go down the comedic route? 

TR: We didn’t want the responsible drinking campaign to be a platitude – we wanted to offer some practical advice to people. David Edwards, the lead strategist on Guinness, suggested that one way into the problem was to get people to drink water – and from there we came up with the idea of Clear.

Tone seemed important, too. We thought people were more likely to take notice of the message if it was done in a light-hearted way, rather than a finger-wagging one.

Was there a moment when you presented Clear to the client where you wondered if it was just too ridiculous for them to buy? 

N&N: Not really. At its heart, Clear is quite a sensible idea – getting people to drink more water. But it’s probably more memorable if it’s executed in a silly way. Our clients recognised that immediately. They understood the best way to execute the idea was to go all the way and be willing to laugh at themselves and beer advertising conventions.

The story behind The Purse is a genuinely heart-warming one, how did you hear about it in the first place? 

TR: Once we’d taken the brief from Guinness, one of the first things we did was get a team of researchers looking for great Six Nations stories. The Rees brothers and their mum’s purse was one that stood out right from the start. It felt unique – and right for Guinness.

What were the challenges of shooting with non-actors? 

N&N: Tom Green was brilliant at coaxing the right performances out of Gareth and David when we needed them. But to be honest, both brothers are natural performers. We got lucky. We went through the process of casting with actors, but it turned out that nobody was as good or looked as interesting playing the brothers as the brothers themselves. And in the end the authenticity of the brothers paid off more than any actors could’ve done.

You've got several campaigns for Guinness under your belts already. Do you feel as creatives you've got a real affinity/understanding with the brand now? And does that create its own kind of pressure to deliver a great campaign each time? 

N&N: Even though we love and know Guinness well, the truth is you’re always starting from scratch so the pressure is the same for us as for anybody. And with their rich creative heritage it’s always daunting.

The Guinness Six Nations and responsible drinking campaigns are our first work as creative directors on the brand. All you can concentrate on as a team really is making something that feels different, interesting and makes you smile.