17th of March is celebrated every year as St Patrick’s Day- a day meant to commemorate Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. The day has, of course, evolved into a grand celebration of Irish culture with special foods, parades, music, dancing, and a whole lot of drinking. As such, brands too leave no stone unturned to garner maximum traction from their audience and come up with engaging ad campaigns to make the most of this day.
So, here we are with some of the most remarkable St Patrick’s ads that stole the show this year.
1. Jameson Irish Whiskey: St Patrick’s Eve
Don’t we all wish for certain dates of a year to fall exactly on a particular day of the week? I’m sure all of us do and comedian Colin Jost is no exception who wished for St Patrick’s Day to fall on Saturday in this funny 30-second spot by the Irish whiskey brand Jameson.
But as fate would have it, St Patrick’s Day is on Sunday as 2024 is a leap year and Colin is frustrated as he had other Sunday plans. So, what does he do next? He devises another important day along the lines of Christmas Eve and calls it St Patrick’s Eve. Too bad for him, Michael Che is already deep asleep by the time he comes up with this “million-dollar idea”.
2. Irish Foreign Ministry: A Place We Call Home
The Irish Foreign Ministry has always been at the forefront of dishing out some of the best St Patrick’s Day commercials every year and it was no different this year either.
As part of its St Patrick’s Day ad campaign, the Ministry took it upon itself to highlight the country’s 70 million diaspora worldwide and the pride it takes in the contributions of its people across the globe. The commercial features lead singer Juliette Crosbie who lent voice to the background score “Run” by Snow Patrol. The ad highlighted several of its citizens who have made a home away from home and serve the lands where they currently live.
Now that’s some lesson in how countries can bolster their soft image while staying true to their traditions and belief systems!
3. Kahlúa: Bored of Stout
The Irish stout is one of the most popular St Patrick’s drinks. But since when has it become mandatory to have stout on this day; what if you wish to sip an espresso martini instead? Well, if you wish so, you’d surely find some encouragement from the Mexican coffee liqueur brand, Kahlúa.
The ad featuring the popular father-son duo Derry and Tadhg shows Derry stepping up to the bar in a classic Irish pub and ordering his usual from the bartender, Tadhg. While everyone in the bar anticipates the drink to be stout, they are left speechless when they find that Derry is indeed celebrating with an espresso martini. A painting of a toucan with its mouth agape suggests that the brand is also poking fun at Guinness stout- the typical St Patrick’s Day drink.
But when Derry asks everyone if they have never seen a man sipping an espresso martini on St Patrick’s Day, everyone raises their pints and the party goes on.
4. Jameson Irish Whiskey: St Patrick’s Eve Suit
Jameson seems to be on a roll this year with multiple St Patrick’s adverts- and each of them is as funny as it gets.
So, after Colin comes up with the fantastic idea of a St Patrick’s Eve to save his Sunday plans, he also wishes to dress up for the occasion. Well, not on Michael’s watch who asks him in his own “polite” way to get rid of the suit and have something else on by the time he gets back.
It looks like Michael has developed a knack for trolling Colin. In this 15-second advert, Colin proposes that only whiskey toasts be allowed instead of champagne toasts as part of the do’s and don’ts for St Patrick’s Eve. To this Michael proposes that Colin pays for the drinks.
Well, Colin, you had it coming, brother!
5. Guinness: Saoirse-Monica Jackson Ad
Could any blog on the best St Patrick’s Day ads ever be complete without the inclusion of the Guinness ad, especially if it features Saoirse-Monica Jackson and ensures that the Irish celebrate the day the right way once and for all? I guessed not!
This funny 60-second spot by the Irish dry stout Guinness shows Saoirse-Monica being faced with one of the many mispronunciations of her name that she has to put up with when she comes across some tourists in a festive mood at a pub. During the encounter, she uncovers certain home truths about the holiday getting her thinking of the things that we have got wrong over the years about this day.
Well, having people pronounce your name correctly for once would definitely provide some solace, Seeuh·Oh·Shuh! See, it isn’t as difficult as they make it out to be!
Wrapping Up
And that was a wrap of some of the best St Patrick’s Day ads from this year. Should you ever wish to design your St Patrick’s Day ad campaign, taking a (green) leaf from the playbook of these brands might prove helpful.
We’ll be back with more amazing videos for you. Till then, stay tuned!