“There is a standard that you set and then there is a Guinness standard and that standard happens to be [set by] the greatest advert of all time, objectively judged by the UK public.” Nick Andrew, Deputy Head of Account Management at AMV BBDO, encapsulated the responsibility of creating work to follow in the footsteps of the iconic Guinness ‘Surfer’ spot. There is setting the bar high for creativity and then there is Guinness.

Andrew was on stage at #BITELIVE19 talking about the power of creativity and how it lies at the very heart of the stereotype smashing work the agency is doing with their client of 22 years, Diageo. Alongside Andrew sat Niall McKee, Head of Guinness Stout Europe at Diageo and Alaina Crystal, Deputy Head of Strategy at AMV BBDO. Interviewed by Creativebrief’s Business Director Stephanie Nattu, the conversation and the work they discussed, was both timely and transformational.

What makes you Made of More?

The client and agency partnership’s most recent undertaking is the ‘Made of More’ series, which is rooted in capturing and telling the stories of those individuals and groups that have the confidence to choose their own path. From Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas’ story of how he came out to his rugby team, to the brand’s most recent ad about the Japanese women’s rugby squad Liberty Fields, ‘Made of More’ has a real thread of inclusive creativity running through it.

As Crystal explained, these stories are “about how people of character overcome the boundaries or barriers that might exist in their path and how in so doing, they further develop their character as a result.”

This ‘more-ness’ was an important aspect to highlight, says Andrew because, as he explained: “It’s the More-ness that marks Guinness out and I think that marks the advertising out.” A huge part of this comes from the community that Guinness has built up, of drinkers, of consumers, of people who align themselves with the brand’s values and consequently with the stories they tell.

Crystal outlined what makes an individual or a collective Made of More, explaining, “It’s also based on the brand values of power, goodness and community. It’s quite simply about confidence, generosity of spirit and the power that you get from coming together and being together as a group of people.”

Choosing the story

The beauty of Made of More, said Crystal, is that it is a powerful platform through which exceptional, character-defining stories can be told in a very real and authentic way. She explained, “You can tell nearly any story through [Made of More]…it’s very much about a campaign in which the stories themselves best represent different groups of people and the struggles they might have faced in a way that feels really authentic to the brand and really authentic to the story you want to tell as a result.”

This proved true for the latest Liberty Fields campaign which goes well beyond the traditional confines of a blood, sweat and tears rugby brief. For Crystal and the team at AMV BBDO, Liberty Fields is “a brilliant parable for what it means to overcome a struggle versus being a story specifically about rugby and that’s why I think it has that universal appeal.”

Liberty Fields, like the brand’s ‘Sisters’ campaign before it, is a reminder of how brands can drive a new narrative, how they can help to smash long-entrenched cultural stereotypes. By telling one person’s or one groups’ story, Guinness captures an attitude and a sentiment that can make a real cultural difference.

For Crystal, “It feels like it’s bigger than advertising…I think we are all better for those stories being in the world and from learning the life lessons that you can learn from stories like that…there’s this brand that provides this platform for these stories to be told in a really credible and authentic way…it’s really about how do you catch culture and how culture shapes you in turn.”

Pushing the diversity and inclusivity agenda

When it comes to culture, what’s significantly more important is that which you build up internally. And that starts, for both AMV and Guinness, with pushing the diversity and inclusion agenda. As Andrew said, “sometimes there is a bit of paralysis around where do I even begin?” But to make the most significant change, what’s essential is to find supportive partners across the board with which you are aligned.

McKee put this plainly: “Whilst the role of brands is really important, you can’t do it on your own.” This is where the strength of AMV and Guinness’ relationship comes to the fore, as both teams are willing to accept their limitations as a solo entity. As McKee explained, “Guinness is part of a partnership of people trying to more that conversation forward.”

For Andrew, this means aligning your business with movements like Free the Bid or Creative Equals’ returners scheme, which is diversifying the industry by bringing back the talent of women who have been out of the industry for some time. It also stretches to small changes like starting all agency meetings earlier in the day to accommodate school pickups. The aim, ultimately, is not to exclude anyone; “It’s a communication of big and small and just checking yourself regularly,” adds Andrew.

The power of a team, led from the top

For Guinness, what has been essential since its conception is that it lives and stays true to its brand values; only then does it have the permission and credibility to tell more diverse stories.

Andrew highlighted that this responsibility is a collective one, shared between brand and agency: “every step of the way it’s a collective decision you’re always taking together. The bigger picture is that everyone knows where they want to get to because you want to make the best, most important, most culture defining work that you possibly can.”

McKee agreed as he explained the nature of how the collective team works: “It’s not a relationship, it’s a partnership. There is real shared values and a willingness to grow the brand and be part of the brand’s journey.”

This belief in growth, and in furthering the brand’s values especially around diversity and inclusion, is something both teams are aligned on when they say that this has to be led from the top. Whether it’s Syl Saller, CMO of Diageo or the ethos Dame Cilla Snowball instilled at AMV, if the senior team aren’t on board, “you’re going to be pushing water up hill,” says McKee.

Both McKee and Andrew believe that, when you work for a brand such as Guinness, you are a “guardian” of it and of the working relationship. This means that a naturally “super honest, open, transparent” communication emerges, says McKee. That honesty allows both partners to acknowledge when something goes wrong and to discuss how they can keep fighting for something better. “Ultimately each of us knows that what you’re striving for is to make really brilliant, profound, important work,” adds Andrew.

Being both part of, and shaped by, culture

The word that comes up the most when talking about Guinness and its advertising is culture. How the brand is such an integral part of it but also how it has been shaped by culture in turn. McKee believes that this cultural aspect is key for marketers to remember: “Brands play such a big role in culture today, especially for young people. People shape their identities and their values often through brands.”

McKee also spoke about the impact that Guinness has had, not only on people, but also on one country in particular, Ireland. He remarked on the changes the country has gone through in the last few years, notably with the passing of the Marriage Act. For McKee, Guinness needs to decide where and how it fits as a brand, in the Ireland of 2019: “The brand is having to work out how it makes a shift from really traditional masculine Irish brand…there’s a new Ireland and we need to work out how we stand for that new Ireland which is inclusive, which is diverse, and which is a really exciting place.”

In the rugby community there is a saying that you never actually own a shirt; you just leave the jersey in a better place for those coming up behind you. It feels like this combined team of AMV BBDO and Guinness are doing just that, by creating boundary breaking, stereotype smashing, culture defining campaigns that sit both within advertising but also outside of it. This is marketing that translates into mainstream culture, that tells stories to affect change, that trickle down to encouraging one young girl to grab her rugby boots and lead her brothers out onto the pitch.

Photography © Steve Brown