If you were, say, a plumbing company, it would likely not be wise to turn all the water in your customer’s houses green. The same could be said for dog groomers, as you would likely have some explaining to do beyond “it’s St. Patrick’s Day!” when your customer picks up a green Poodle. Now that we’ve cleared that up, St Patrick’s Day marketing campaigns are something you should embrace.
If you can’t sprinkle green food coloring into what you do, then what can you do? There are plenty things to learn from how the holiday is celebrated through marketing. It just takes a little creativity. We decided to play into the theme as you’ll notice that the three businesses to learn from below all hail from The Emerald Isle.
The Ireland-based cider manufacturer payed homage to both the history of the holiday and Irish drinking culture this year. As the story goes, St. Patrick had all the snakes that inhabited the country sent away. The company decided they would play upon that theme by banishing the snakes out of bars, too.
When somebody bails on their group at a bar without paying for their drinks it’s known as “snaking out.” Magners turned to AI to combat these snakes in their St. Patrick’s Day marketing campaigns. The cider company will allow users to plug in a phone number. Recipients will receive a tirade in an Irish brogue lambasting them for the very characteristic St. Patrick was against in the first place.
Another proprietor of fine alcoholic beverages got into the act by paying homage to their roots. The company behind the famous brew, Guinness is synonymous with both the holiday and their home country. Rather than using AI to their advantage, Guinness’ St. Patrick’s Day marketing campaigns have their year-round content marketing strategy to thank.
Skyword put together a case study on what makes Guinness so successful. In this case study, a deep dive was taken to explore how Guinness managed rebranding efforts, adjusted to changing industry expectations and went digital. Marketers and business owners can learn from those behind the popularity of the iconic beverage.
It’s possible that Skyword was so transfixed with Guinness’ work that they took a look at the marketing behind the country as a whole, too. No matter their motivation, the agency put together another lengthy case study, this one examining the marketing strategy of Irish Tourism. For this organization, obviously, St. Patrick’s Day marketing campaigns are ready made and built in. But there are still takeaways that you can learn regarding storytelling, community and innovation.