Guinness lights up pubs in Christmas push

Guinness is lighting up 22 UK pubs to celebrate their role as community hubs during the festive season.

The Lock Tavern in Camden, The Queen's Vaults in Cardiff and The Pickled Sprout in Harrogate are among the establishments participating in "Light Up the Local".

Neil Shah, head of Guinness GB, said: "The past 18 months has been incredibly tough for the hospitality industry, so we want to do all that we can to make sure Guinness supports locals. Our 'Light Up the Local' Christmas campaign is about celebrating pubs as the beating heart of our communities where people can come together with their mates over a pint of Guinness in the run-up to Christmas.

"We will be underpinning this with our Guinness Raising the Bar programme, which has already helped a huge number of establishments during the pandemic – we will continue to support the industry through the fund and other means."

The campaign will also involve the Guinness pub choir taking over the soundtrack to the Guinness Christmas ad, a re-release of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO's "Welcome Back #LooksLikeGuinness".

The choir, comprising 30 publicans and bar staff, performs its own version of the song on the ad, Elvis Presley's Always on my Mind. The track will be available to stream on Spotify.

The campaign includes digital out-of-home executions in railway stations across the UK to generate excitement and drive footfall.

The Guinness Raising the Bar programme has supported publicans and bar staff throughout the pandemic. The fund has provided financial support, social distancing equipment, PPE and pub necessities.