News & Insights>Marketing lessons from…
< Back to News & Insights

Marketing lessons from Guinness: what B2B brands can learn

31.01.25

By Ellie Jackson, Chief Client Strategy Officer

Guinness’ marketing success isn’t just about beer—it’s about branding mastery. From consistent storytelling to distinctive brand assets and smart innovation, Guinness offers powerful lessons for B2B marketers. This post breaks down key takeaways that can help any business build stronger brand recognition and long-term market success.

There’s been something of a storm in a pint glass in the last couple of weeks with speculation – and then firm denial – that Diageo planned to offload Guinness, followed by further headlines about UK shortages. While it seems as though the famous brand is staying where it is, at least for now, it got me musing on what we can all learn from its successes – even if our industries are a world apart.


Guinness is often held up as an exemplar in marketing circles – let’s look at why that’s the case, and see what universal truths might translate to the often niche B2B worlds many of our clients inhabit.

1) The power of consistent brand storytelling

Great brands tell great stories – and Guinness has been doing it right for decades. From the classic, Good things come to those who wait campaign where the story rewinds after the first satisfying gulp to show the lead up to that moment from the start of time itself, to the iconic Surfer ad, Guinness has mastered the art of storytelling. Stories engage, and engagement sells – regardless of industry.

Then, when they hit on something that works, they let it run. For B2B, this is a useful lesson as well. Too many businesses kill off successful campaigns prematurely in the pursuit of ‘newness’ – something we talked about previously in this post. Resonance takes time to build, and consistency is how you become known for certain things over time.

2) Using distinctive brand assets to stand out

‘Distinctive brand assets’ (DBAs) is just fancy marketing speak for ‘stuff that is recognizably your brand’, usually beyond your logo and name. Guinness handles this seriously well, using its black and white to great effect, like in the You Were Always on My Mind campaign after the COVID lockdowns.

We’ve got a whole post about DBAs, but suffice it to say, it’s an area many B2B businesses can improve. Is it important in niche B2B just as it is for Guinness? I’d say absolutely. After all, DBAs give you license to play in your marketing – just like Guinness did in the above campaign – and that creativity is what’s going to help your product and brand be remembered across the lengthy periods when your future prospects are not actively in-market.

The key is committing to your distinctive assets. Whether it’s a color scheme, a graphic style, a signature tone of voice, or even a unique product shape, consistency helps create instant recognition – crucial in B2B markets where buying cycles are long, and infrequent.

3) Innovating for all the right reasons

At first glance, a pint of Guinness is a pint of Guinness. Indeed, I’d argue that consistency has played a role in its success – but where they’ve been smart is in evolving around the product without diluting its core appeal.

Take Guinness Draught in a can. Instead of compromising on quality to chase mass-market convenience, Guinness developed its signature nitrogen widget to replicate the experience of a fresh draught pour at home. More recently, they’ve responded to shifts in consumer demand with products like Guinness 0.0, catering to the growing no-alcohol trend without sacrificing taste (at least in my opinion!)

For B2B brands, the lesson here is not just ‘innovate to show we’re smart,’ but ‘innovate to meet customer needs’.

Key takeaways for B2B marketers

Guinness isn’t just a great beer; it’s a masterclass in branding, marketing, and staying power. It has built salience through consistent storytelling, smart campaign longevity, and distinctive brand assets. And it has evolved in ways that reinforce its strengths, rather than abandoning them.

For B2B marketers, the parallels are clear. Build consistency. Commit to your distinctive assets. Give campaigns time to work. Innovate in a way that strengthens, rather than weakens, your brand. Because whether you’re selling pints or portfolio management systems, marketing success shares several fundamentals.

Key Takeaways:

1. How has Guinness maintained strong brand recognition?
Guinness consistently uses storytelling, distinctive brand assets, and smart innovation to stay relevant while maintaining its core identity.

2. Why should B2B brands focus on consistency in marketing?
Consistent branding helps build recognition, trust, and market salience—key in long B2B buying cycles where immediate sales aren’t always the goal.

3. What can B2B marketers learn from Guinness’ product innovation?
Instead of innovating for the sake of it, Guinness evolves to meet customer needs while reinforcing its strengths—something B2B brands should emulate.

References:

Related News