Guinness and football icon Joe Montana raise a toast to hope, optimism, and what it truly means to be great
Being the GOAT, or “Greatest of All Time,” is usually a sports debate amongst friends or talking heads, especially when the best football Sunday of the year rolls around. But especially right here, right now, there’s meaning, hope and optimism to be found in that phrase for all of us. Who better than Guinness – perhaps the greatest pint of all time – and Hall of Famer Joe Montana – definitely one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time – to tell us why?
For the first time in more than a decade, the alcohol brand will air a TV commercial for pro football’s biggest game, starring Montana and raising a hopeful toast to the everyday greatness within us all.
“Being great is about more than the glory or the numbers,” Montana said. “It’s really about being resilient and coming back – even from the hardest year ever. It’s about celebrating each other and making everyone around you better. But most of all, real greatness is about keeping the faith that the best is always yet to come – that no matter what, we’ve got this.”
Over the course of three days, Quaker City Mercantile worked with Guinness to produce the commercial across two safes, socially distanced shots: one with Montana at a football stadium, and the other with the staff of the Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore, the US home of Guinness, where they have also been baking and donating bread to local communities since the pandemic began.
“This is a moment to look for optimism, as the Irish have always done,” said Jay Sethi, Diageo Beer Co. CMO. “We think we’ve found something uplifting to say at the right time, and in a way that captures that Guinness magic and goodwill. Especially right now, we want to remind people that if we look out for one another and keep moving forward, we’ll all come back better than ever. Having the ‘Comeback Kid,’ our friend Joe Montana, deliver the message felt absolutely perfect.”
Over the last few months, Guinness has gravitated toward football, America’s favourite sport. In August, the iconic Irish brewer announced a long-term partnership with Notre Dame as an official beer of Fighting Irish Alumni and Fans.
Later in the fall, Guinness and Joe Montana teamed up for a series of hope-fueled TV ads, including a spot highlighting the Notre Dame partnership. Underscoring it all? The simple fact that our signature nitrogenated Guinness Draught Stout – widely available in cans to enjoy at home – is the perfect beer to sip slowly during a weekend full of football.
