Diageo to build on recent Guinness growth via global football partnership

Diageo has signed a four year agreement that will see Guinness become the official beer partner of the Premier League, the world’s most watched football league. 

The partnership, which will come into effect from the 2024/2025 season, will see Guinness become the football tournament’s Official Beer and Guinness 0.0 the Official Non-Alcoholic Beer. 

“This partnership brings together two iconic global brands that are loved by communities all over the world, and we can’t wait to bring beautiful pints to the beautiful game,” said Diageo’s Global Brand Director Stephen O’Kelly.

“When the first ball is kicked off in August, Guinness will be building on its international legacy in sport with a new campaign reaching millions of fans, who follow and enjoy the Premier League in their own unique way across the globe.”

The news follows on from a period of significant growth for Diageo’s leading stout brand, which saw worldwide sales grow 14% over the half year ending 31 December 2023. This is reflective of the significant increases in the amount of Irish imports into Australia. According to the latest available data, published on Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs Australia website, Australia’s affinity for Irish products has grown significantly over recent years, with 2022 imports totalling over AUD $2.5 billion, up more than $1 billion on 2021. 

The same patterns emerge when focusing on the liquor sector, with the Irish Spirits Market Report 2022 showing that imports of Irish Protected Spirits into Australia increased in value by 17.3% on the year before. The data also revealed that Australia imported a volume of 615,700 nine-litre cases in 2022, equating to about 74% of the 832,500 total cases consumed within Ireland itself, a statistic that shines a light on the fact that almost one in 10 Australians identifies as having Irish ancestry. 

The partnership with the Premier League will share Guinness with the largest football crowd in the world, with the tournament broadcasted into 900 million homes across 189 countries. Guinness is currently brewed in 49 countries worldwide and sold in over 120, including in Australia by Lion.

Upon launching Guinness 0.0 to the Australian market in March this year, Lion's Brand Director of premium beer Albertus Lombard said, “as one of the world’s oldest and most loved drinks, Guinness continues to remain at the forefront of innovation. The launch of Guinness 0.0 is catering to consumer needs, without compromising on the signature Guinness flavour profile that its drinkers know and love.”

According to Diageo's European President John Kennedy, the Premier League partnership will be especially important for Guinness' new non-alcoholic offering.

“I'm particularly excited for the brand to build on the impressive growth that Guinness 0.0 has seen since its launch, and using our status as the Official Non-Alcoholic Beer of the Premier League to lay the foundations for further global roll-out around the world,” he said.

Guinness wil launch a new campaign platform in August that will build upon its history of major sporting activations. It will also build upon previous Guinness campaigns such as A Whole Universe and Pourcast, both launched over the past year.