Guinness has taken its iconic Irish stout into Dubai’s festival scene, with creative agency Those That Do creating a pop-up pub designed to challenge perceptions of the beer as a traditional, wintertime drink.
Dubbed The Thirsty Toucan, the activation sees Guinness trade its traditional pub setting for a miniature bar experience, bringing the brand’s global ‘Lovely Day for a Guinness’ platform into the UAE.
Created by independent creative agency Those That Do, in partnership with Diageo, African + Eastern and Guinness, the pop-up features a neon-inspired take on the brand’s black and gold identity, with its iconic toucan taking centre stage.
The experience combines Guinness pints, Irish-style pop-up performances and ‘Would You Rather?’ playing cards, designed to encourage interaction and give festivalgoers a reason to spend time with the brand.
The Thirsty Toucan first launched at Taste of Dubai before appearing at Barracuda’s store in Umm Al Quwain for the start of the English Premier League.
It has since appeared at Summer in Nashville and dog festival Woofstock over Halloween weekend, with further appearances planned at Dubai pizza festival Slice DXB and music event In the Park during November.
The activation has already delivered a commercial result for the brand, with Guinness reporting a 900 per cent year-on-year increase in sales at Taste of Dubai, where The Thirsty Toucan also became one of the event’s most talked-about activations.
Guinness head of beer, EEME, Grace Murphy, said the campaign was designed to move the brand beyond perceptions of Guinness as a traditional Irish pub drink.
“The job to be done was clear: bring Guinness out of the dark and into the light,” Murphy said.
“We wanted to break the stereotypical perceptions of Guinness as a traditional Irish pub drink, a man’s drink, a winter drink, dark and heavy.”
Those That Do general manager Ginny Jackson said the agency wanted to create more than another temporary event bar, with the experience designed to operate as a destination while maintaining the standards of a traditional Guinness pub.
“At the heart of that is the perfect serve. Every pint is poured properly and served to the standard you’d expect in Dublin, because the pint is the brand,” Jackson said.
“Get that right, and you give people a reason to stay, to purchase, to engage and to enjoy the moment, rather than grabbing a drink and moving on.”
Creative credits
Creative Director Dubai: Mary-Anne Trant
Creative Director Group: Claire Sutton
Designer: Robbie Gray
Designer: Molly Jermyn
Artwork: Dana Mica Dela Cruz / North Domingo
General Manager: Ginny Jackson
Senior Project Manager: Charlotte Johnson
