Black to front

“Let’s raise a [glass] to Arthur Guinness, 250 remarkable years,” compere Ronan Keating said to the 2,000 competition winners and invitees in front of him at the brewery’s remodelled Hop Store 13, under Sky TV’s watchful eye.

Standing alongside, superstar turn Tom Jones had the first pint in the air at 17:59pm, ahead of some 49,999,999 others worldwide. “The best place to have Guinness is in Ireland,” the singer said, suds of an impressive celebratory pull invisible against his white whiskers. “It’s the real deal.”

Having opened musical proceedings with 30 minutes of hits, ahead of similar duration turns from Estelle, Dizzee Rascal and Kasabian, Jones went on to play another set in different surroundings, at the Brazen Head, officially Ireland’s oldest inn. A total 33 sites hosted gigs on the day, four studio venues and 28 pubs, all operating in step with the brewery. It was one hell of a piece of marketing, and one hell of a set of logistics. Conceived by Guinness brewer Diageo, developed by Freud Communications in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi, and executed by production company Sevens7.

“Arthur’s Day was created to give the brand a destination point for celebrations outside of St Patrick’s Day and away from New Year’s,” senior director for events marketing at Freuds, Alan Steel, said. The celebration had to have a world focus too, without impacting on the quality of the occasion in Dublin.

“Five global stadium gigs, for example, would only deliver impact for one day with PR extension but not direct consumer interaction with the brand in its natural home,” Steel said. “Pub and small live event activations across multiple cities, linked through TV, delivers more effectively for brand and artist.”

Saying that, putting the event in at Hop Store 13 was a fundamentally difficult operation. “I understand now exactly how difficult it actually is to arrange a piss up in a brewery,” he smiled. Like all these things, the success of the day was about the people who delivered it.

“I have a long relationship with Sevens7 and it was an easy decision to get them involved,” Steel nodded. “They understand the Diageo process, which was a big help, although what they actually achieved went way beyond expectation. They got it from the brand perspective. [Managing director] Luke Carr’s technical know how is second to none, they pull in people like Tony Wheeler, and you trust them to deliver.”

And through linked events in key markets, like Lagos, New York and Kuala Lumpur, the partnership with Sky meant the ‘raise a glass to Arthur’ concept caught on. In fact, it was the biggest sales day Guinness has had in its history. Or as global brand director and chairman at Diageo, Ireland, Brian Duffy, put it, “The best single activation around the brand”.

Raising the bars

Carr, a founding partner at Sevens7, started work on the project at the end of 2008, effectively developing a television show into an event to bring punters back to the pubs, with music at the top of the menu.

“We came and had a look at the spaces available at Hop Store 13, and it was a classic square peg, round hole. It’s a 24 hour working operation, and it’s one of the biggest tourist attractions in Ireland. But we allowed ourselves two weeks for the build up, and we involved a lot of top suppliers, who all put in a really good effort, there are lots of familiar faces around.”

Luke Carr

 

By way of example(s), Wheeler/Nine Yards production managed Hop Store 13, Britannia Row supplied sound, PRG the light, XL Video the rear projection screens, and Arena Seating the grandstand for 933 VIPs. Arena CAD engineers had to calculate exactly what the suspended floor of the site could bear before the 937 capacity grandstand went up, at the back of the room, incorporating four double height rear access staircases, and two front entry staircases.

“It was complex, with the 4m pedestrian tunnel running through the scaffolding sub-structure that raised the front row of the grandstand to range in height from 1.2m to 3m across the front of the stand,” sales director, Dave Withey, said. “The sub-structure guaranteed safety and was designed to give clear sightlines over the heads of the standing audience and the control platforms.”

Obviously, such a radical change at the brewery came with plenty of hoops, ensuring Sevens7 integrated its contractors with the site, that collectively they got their jobs done, and at the same time stayed tucked away in the corner allowing for business as usual.

“There have been lots of administrative layers to get through from a licensing perspective,” Carr said. “We had to knock 20 fire exits into the building to get a fire safety certificate for example, and we’ve been helped through the process by Eamon O’Boyle and Associates, who we were introduced to by Guinness. They’ve done a fantastic job.”

“My opinion from the outset has been that it would have been easier in a green field site. We may have four walls around us, and a roof above us, but all that’s done is given us more problems to consider,” he said. “But the brewery has been really helpful. There’s a great team here, they invested a lot of money to make the space work, and they were very keen to see it deliver.”

At the same time as all that, team Sevens7 was planning for more than 60 artists playing two gigs each across the city in 28 pubs, through reams of red tape.

“The overall running order and schedule, which has been pulled together by Done & Dusted, and the artist bookings, has been a pretty big spreadsheet,” Carr added. “Ultimately, we’re delivering a big programme for Guinness, that people are interested in and have time for. I don’t think any other brand could quite pull it off. There are a lot of variables involved. There are publicans, promoters, and there’s television. It’s a challenging project, but through the efforts and industry of everyone involved, we’ve delivered.”

Eclectic

From the polished pop/rock/rap of the Hop Store 13 sets, there was a broad mix of talent playing in the participating pubs and clubs across the city, produced by Duchess from promoter MCD. The Kooks and Richard Hawley at the Academy, Calvin Harris and Jamie Cullum at the Tripod, Sugababes and Razorlight at Vicar Street, David Gray, the biggest selling artist in Ireland believe it or not, at Whelan’s, with the Enemy and the Undertones. But it was the second leg, off piste shows, that provided the real USPs.

Aside from Keating’s interviews and local support acts, Arthur’s Day reflected the international clout of brand Guinness. Saying that, Derry boys the Undertones at Brogans, a sell out show in front of some 100 people, was one truly magical moment. “This is what it’s all about,” guitarist/songwriter in chief, John O’Neill, told me over a topical pint of plain before the gig, gesturing around the venue.

“When the list of bands was circulated, I only wanted the Undertones,” the bar manager said as he introduced them, to huge applause from the floor.

Playing just inside the door, with no stage, they tear through first and second album-era highs, like Get Over You, Jimmy Jimmy, My Perfect Cousin, Mars Bars, Male Model and Here Comes The Summer. There were no glasses left behind the bar halfway through the set as people drank in the occasion, and there was no letting the Undertones go. We got two time limit defying encores.

Set to tour next year, across the UK and as far away as Japan, O’Neill said for the first time in a good while he is making enough money from the band not to need another job as well. This from the man who penned Teenage Kicks! Justice, clearly, has dragged its heels.

“Getting some of the artists to do a second set in a pub or a small music venue was a hard sell, but on the night both crowd and artist understood what putting music back into pubs was all about,” Steel concluded. “The TV bit delivered the marketing, the rest was there for the music fans.

“The Undertones were supporters of the event from the start, and I don’t think people will forget their performances on the 30th anniversary of their first album, for a long time.”

Look out for Arthur’s Day 2010. It’s going to happen…