Developed by Saatchi & Saatchi, the ‘Giants of pool’ campaign features a set of huge pool balls atop a bus shelter along the Lion City’s main shopping belt - Orchard Road - while placements on various forms of public transport further complement the visibility of the draught brand, which is title sponsor for the event.
“These media were chosen based on their ability to convey the message of ‘Greatness’ of pool and demonstrate the larger-than-life spirit of the campaign,” said John Galvin, marketing manager for Guinness at Asia-Pacific Breweries.
“The challenge was to create cut-through amid the television broadcast clutter. As such, we focused a large part of our advertising efforts on outdoor media.”
This is the second year that Guinness has sponsored the pool tour, which boasts US$320,000.
World-leading players then compete across six-legs in different venues including Taipei, Malaysia, Singapore and Jakarta, to boost their rankings and qualify for the World Pool Championship.
“Our advertising builds on this association through the revelation of the ‘inner workings’ of the sport.
Every move made during a game of pool is inspired by an intriguing level of thought from the player.
This chimes with ‘Greatness’, one of the key pillars of the Guinness brand, which is further brought to life in the campaign,” added Galvin.
Diageo is reviewing its creative strategy for the iconic stout in Asia, a move that threatens Saatchis’ hold on the business, which it has held since 2001.
The drinks giant has tasked the Publicis Groupe agency to present ideas together with BBDO, Guinness’ AOR in the UK and Ireland, markets where the beer has fared better.
The review comes amid management changes at Diageo, where regional marketing director David Gates departed to become global brand director at Johnnie Walker, based in Amsterdam.
Barbara Young, who was previously Chevron Lubricants Asia-Pacific’s GM of marketing, succeeds Gates.
Malaysia and Indonesia are two key markets for Guinness because of the popularity of its Foreign Extra Stout brand among older Chinese and Indian consumers. The beer brand is also looking to grow in North Asia, particularly in Korean and China. where consumers traditionally favour lager.
