How does Guinness stand out in a city that already does St. Patrick’s Day so big?
That is the question we asked ourselves.

To make the Guinness Open Gate Brewery stand out in Chicago we did something only Guinness could do. Only Guinness has a rich heritage in St. Patrick’s Day fan-fare so we decided to transport guests back in time to the early days of the dark beer brand. With immersive rooms, we brought guests back in time with authentic Irish music, Irish dancing, a carefully catered menu, and authentic posters that were actually used by the brand.

But the experience had to connect with locals if it was going to actually stand out and keep them coming back. Aligned with Guinness’s own vision to make people not only think of them as the brand with the dark beer, we released a variety of limited edition beers inspired by Chicago. To spread additional awareness we utilized Guinness’s Stoutie Machine which offered custom selfies and icons to be etched into the Guinness draft. In the end, the 360-degree campaign and experience drew thousands to the brewery and reached even more on social media making the flagship Guinness brewery stand out in a sea of green in the city that does St. Patrick’s Day best.