After a long winter the nation was at its grumpiest: 58% of Brits said they feel most grumpy and unfriendly at this time of year, and a quarter of men would not be comfortable hugging another man. Yet 84% thought we could be friendlier, so for St Patrick's Day we built Guinness's broadcast PR campaign around being friendly, positioning it as the friendly stout. We put a TV comedian on air across a radio day of interviews to teach listeners how to be friendly the Irish way. The campaign secured 23 items of radio coverage reaching 6.6 million, including talkSPORT, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Merseyside.
23Items of coverage
6.6 millionCombined reach
2h 52mTime on air
Coverage highlights
talkSPORTNational radio
BBC Radio WalesBBC radio
BBC Radio MerseysideBBC radio
Downtown RadioCommercial radio
The story
Guinness, St Patrick's Day
The aim
Guinness wanted to show that British men find friendliness hard and position itself as the friendly stout this St Patrick's Day.
The message
Over 80% of us think we could be friendlier, and many see the local pub as the friendliest place around. Guinness encouraged everyone, especially British blokes, to be friendly on St Patrick's Day.
The angle
With the nation at its grumpiest after a long winter, a survey found 58% of Brits feel most grumpy and unfriendly at this time of year, and a quarter of men would not be comfortable hugging another man. Yet 84% think we could be friendlier.
On air
A TV comedian, there to teach listeners how to be friendly the Irish way
The result
23 items of coverage reaching 6.6 million, including talkSPORT, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Merseyside, Downtown Radio.
About St Patrick's Day
St Patrick's Day is the feast day of Ireland's patron saint, held on 17 March. It is celebrated in Ireland and by Irish communities worldwide, including in the UK, with parades, green clothing and Irish food and drink. It has no single organiser. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning St Patrick's Day for 2027?
St Patrick's Day next falls on Wednesday 17 March 2027. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
