Marketing & Branding Campaigns That Worked Like A Charm

On St. Patrick’s Day, “Everybody’s Irish” and it’s sure to attract an online crowd! Here are 7 lucky branding & marketing campaigns that are striking gold!

Friendliest Day Of The Year

It would have been impossible to start this post off without a nod to Guinness, a brand that goes hand-in-hand with St. Patrick’s Day. With the creation of an interactive infographic, Guinness championed friends and families coming together and making St. Patrick’s Day “the friendliest day of the year”. To top things off, they entered the book of world records for successfully creating the friendliest day of the year. Selling pints is one thing; creating folklore, a feeling of community, and a lasting reputation for your brand is invaluable.

Getting Shamrocked

Get ready to get ShamRocked at Hard Rock Cafe this St. Paddy’s Day!

The pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is the all-new St. Paddy’s Shake, an Instagram-worthy shake that combines Absolut^® Vanilla vodka, creamy vanilla ice cream, Oreo^® cookies, a touch of mint and homemade white chocolate whipped cream before being topped with rainbow candy ribbons and gold star sprinkles.

In addition to the St. Paddy’s Shake, those looking to sink their teeth into gold can order the Guinness^® & Bacon Jam Cheeseburger, a half-pound burger topped with Jameson^® bacon jam and Guinness^® cheese sauce, crisp lettuce and vine-ripened tomato, served on a toasted bun with a side of seasoned fries.

Beer. Doughnuts.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, fans of Krispy Kreme can get a free O’riginal Glazed Doughnut — i.e., a green-dyed glazed doughnut — just by dressing up in green and showing up at a participating shop. Guests can redeem one doughnut each on March 16 and 17, no purchase necessary.

Not content with just one doughnut? Krispy Kreme is currently also offering its St. Patrick’s Day Collection, which includes four different St. Paddy’s-themed doughnuts decorated with rainbows, shamrocks, and the perpetually wide-eyed face of a bearded leprechaun.

Make It A Double

This Saint Patrick’s Day, Jameson Irish Whiskey will pay whiskey loving imbibers to make it a double — a double holiday, that is. After two years of St. Patrick’s Day cancellations, Jameson is encouraging fans to make up for lost time and celebrate on both the 17th and the 18th in 2022. To incentivize them, Jameson will award thousands who take the two-day pledge with cash and a full Irish breakfast through UberEats to help fuel the fun—responsibly, of course—for 48 hours.

McMagic

A brand knows it has found a pot of gold when it creates organic hype around a product. McDonald’s has the financial muscle to flex it with the best of them when it comes to marketing, but all it took was a St. Patrick’s Day themed milkshake to send the internet into a frenzy.

Every year McDonald’s releases its Shamrock Shake in the month leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. The shake is essentially a mint chocolate chip milkshake, but adding the Irish-theme creates an aura around it—and people want to get their hands on the shake.

Puzzle Me This

Wordle be damned…here comes SEMrush. They came at St Paddy’s Day creatively, choosing to create a crossword puzzle challenge for followers to win Irish-themed wares. 

With their key audience consisting of marketers and small businesses that want to build their reputation online, the challenge of a crossword struck a chord and grabbed the attention of their 100,00-plus social following.  

The Guinness gift set prize was an extra incentive to get people on board, in what was already a clever marketing ploy. That people still hold the campaign in such high esteem two years after its initial conception goes to show how marketing efforts around big events can create longevity.

Imbibe And Stay Alive

Although alcohol is an expected offering on this of all days, it isn’t the only voice out there. There’s also a voice of reason running about, reminding everyone of the importance of having designated drivers – and that’s the folks at the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. This year, their Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving campaign seeks to keep parade and party goers safe. 

Ready to try your luck at an innovative marketing campaign? We write the book on them every day. Let’s have a beer and create something memorable! Reach out to Yalo below to get started with your own luck o’ the Irish.