Due North Communications Inc.

What We Do

The Due North Difference Brought to Life
Goodyear Star Choice Kilkenny Workopolis Dunlop Guinness D.F.C.
Guinness
Our Contribution to Client Success. Before we got to work re-building this brand in Canada, Guinness was a low-profile competitor in the taste beer segment. Primarily consumed by elderly Irish ex-pats in dusty pubs, the Guinness brand loyal consumer was small in number. We needed to broaden our base of drinkers. Research indicated that there was an opportunity with the young, urban, male beer drinker but we needed to overcome some barriers first. One of those barriers was the fact that the Guinness product really needs to be served properly, by someone who’s been properly schooled in the Guinness pour to be enjoyed. Armed with the knowledge of which key bars and clubs seemed Guinness property, as well as being attractive environments for our young, urban male target, we devised a media plan that pinpointed our communication very specifically within the city of Toronto. Our plan included: • Painted walls and backlit outdoor boards in close proximity to the key accounts where our target consumer might enjoy a Guinness • Wrapped streetcars which ran on the routes in and around our key clubs and bars. • Radio on the local Toronto stations accompanied with promotional programs. Evolving Guinness required special creative. Creatively we needed to dust the cob-webs off a timeless brand with a truly meaningful point of difference. We needed to create an expectation of the product so compelling that it would move the drinker past their trepidation to trial. In order to bring the soulful experience of drinking a Guinness to life for our target we created metaphors that they could relate to that described the sensation of drinking a Guinness. Outdoor creative aptly displayed the beauty of a pint of Guinness, while radio described it through sound effects. The Results. While these programs were in place, the brand re-emerged as a formidable competitor in the taste beer segment. Our efforts produced gains in brand awareness and relevance with the key LDA -34 year old male beer drinker. There was an increase in on-premise sales throughout the targeted urban clubs/bars with a more consistent level of business troughout the year than the traditional St. Patrick’s Day peak. Lastly, there was a complementary increase in take-home pack sales throughout the areas which received media and PR support.
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