Some of the most memorable ad campaigns of recent decades have come from the alcoholic drinks sector. Think Smirnoff with its impressive "Extraordinary Purification" ad, John Smith's humorous "Y're Barred" campaign featuring the no-nonsense pub landlord and Carling's successful "Belong" campaign.
However, the alcoholic brand with possibly the most unforgettable advertising campaigns is Guinness.
Brand awareness for Guinness has been developed through numerous means, including heavyweight sports sponsorship such as the 2007 Rugby World Cup strategy planned by Carat.
But its traditional advertising campaigns have created the biggest stir. From the "Pure Genius" ad starring Rutger Hauer to the iconic "Surfer" campaign, the Guinness ads have showcased the Diageo-owned drinks brand's famous slogan: "Good things come to those who wait."
For its latest campaign, the drinks giant has decided to target pub drinkers. The new strapline "17:59, it's Guinness time" evokes both the year the brewery was established and the time pub-goers may get to sup their first post-work pint.
With on-trade sales (drinks consumed on licensed premises) in decline, the £5m campaign was supplemented by special prize giveaways and about 12,000 promotional kits with puzzles and brainteasers.
The settling head of a pint of Guinness is reflected in the glasses of a white-clad human cannonball. Along with his fellow lycra-clad buddies, he is then propelled across the screen and exploded against a huge drum skin, as a representation of the way bubbles behave in a pint. The ad then shows a shot of a settled pint on a bar, as the narrator concludes: "17:59, it's Guinness time."
The latest ad for the Guinness brand first aired on 15 September. BrandIndex scores show that positive satisfaction scores (respondents who have recently indicated they are satisfied customers of the brand) have increased from 13 to a peak of 19 on 30 September.
Meanwhile, the brand's positive buzz score (respondents who have heard something positive about the brand in the past two weeks) has seen an uplift of three points.
The uplift in scores suggests the ad has been appreciated - but whether this will boost the brand's flagging sales in pubs and bars remains to be seen.
METHODOLOGY: YouGov interviews 2,000 people each weekday to form its BrandIndex, a daily measure of public perception of more than 1,100 consumer brands across 32 sectors. It is measured on a seven-point profile
1 Buzz
2 General impression
3 Quality
4 Value
5 Satisfaction
6 Recommend
7 Corporate reputation.
In addition, we supply an index score.
Sundip Chahal, www.brandindex.co.uk