Guinness tugs at the heart strings with their first new TV spot in over six months, and reaches an iSpot Ad Effectiveness Rating of 9.6 (out of 10).
The spot titled “Empty Chair” aired during Sunday’s World Cup Final on ABC, and depicts a bartender placing a pint of Guinness on a table each day until a veteran patron returns. The ad has seen very high digital interaction on Twitter and Facebook, with a broad spectrum of comments:
“The fact that the Guinness commercial just made me cry is more reliable than any period tracker app I have used so far” @GoonSquadSarah
“And yet again, the Guinness commercial is on. I’m still gonna cry” @crabbyab90
And some slightly more serious comments:
“To our men and women in uniform, and to @GuinnessUS for recognizing them!” @Grieboski
“Thanks to Guinness from a US Navy retiree. Saw it on the TV for the first time just now and was moved to tears. Thanks for NOT forgetting our military, no matter what flag or country, our military is all of us, and should be honored. Thank YOU” @Fototaker Sf
Guinness continue their tradition of thought provoking ads, with many comments directed towards the music in the ad which is an 1887 hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”:
“I’m confused by this Guinness commercial that uses Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” @sarahnbay
“Just when the True Grit score had me reconsidering ‘Leaning on the Everlasting Arms’, Guinness goes and ruins it for me with that commercial” @blakehuggins
Overall positive Tweet sentiment is 82% with 1.5 million online views, and an estimated $110K in spend.