GUINNESS | BLACK POT | 1976
Slowly Putting Away the Black / GUINNESS "BLACK POT"
This Guinness ad won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 1976. It seems to pair two quiet moments: a player sinking the black ball in snooker, and someone slowly drinking down a Guinness. "Slowly putting away the black" — both are about putting away something black, and neither should be rushed.
The problem
In 1969, Guinness moved its account from Benson, its agency of many years, to JWT. The new agency's job was to take Guinness's blackness — a trait no other beer had — and turn it into something positive that set the brand apart, rather than a drawback. Selling a black beer isn't easy, so it called for cleverness and charm.
The idea
A snooker table. A cue lines up on the black ball. A dissolve carries us to a man drinking a Draught Guinness. Both are acts of "putting away the black," and both unfold slowly and carefully. Pouring and drinking a Guinness both take time — and the ad presents that as a ritual worth waiting for.
What happened
It won the Film Grand Prix at Cannes Lions in 1976. It's said to have strengthened the brand's uniqueness and won critical acclaim within the industry.
Afterthought
There isn't much information out there, but you can still feel how strong the concept is. Making people feel good about waiting, rather than annoyed by it — maybe this was the seed that grew into the later "Good things come to those who wait" campaign from the 1990s onward. I really want to watch that 1976 film right now.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 1976
