Guinness American Lager: Do blondes have difficulty focusing?

Presented here, the launch television commercial for Guinness Blonde American Lager. Count the selling points...

- There's a new Guinness beer
- "Nothing is more intriguing than a blonde with a dark past"
- Guinness master brewers
- Deliciously crisp and flavorful (that could be three)
- Mosaic and Williamette American hops (that could be two)
- Centuries-old Guinness brewing artistry
- The first edition in the new Guinness Discovery Series
- Discover a new way to brewing excellence
- Guinness: Made of More

Question: What's the selling focus here?

Answer: There isn't one.

What is demonstrated here is an all-too-common advertising mistake normally made by junior talent. Uncertain as to what the selling focus should be, they choose to check the "all of the above" box, and lay out every possible reason anyone might have for trying their new beer. Each point given roughly equal weight, with no logical relationship one to the next. In leaving nothing out, they figure they can't be wrong. 

Sadly, the opposite is true. The lack of focus pretty much ensures none of these points will stick in the prospective customer's mind. And that makes for a waste of advertising.

For comparison, look at another Guinness ad...

The focus of the sale is simple: Guinness dark has only 124 calories. 

The folks who created the ad made a strategic decision not to include chatter about Guinness master brewers, or ingredients, or their centuries-old brewing artistry. Or any of dozens of other things that happen to be true about their beer. They understood that the essence of good strategy lies in focusing on only what's most compelling. And they undertook the difficult intellectual work of deciding what to leave out.

But blondes?

Maybe they're just fated to babble.

---