Guinness' 'Dancing Can' Ad Joins the Guinness Advertising Hall of Fame

Guinness is inviting more people to experience the joy and communion of a perfect pint at home with its new campaign, “Dancing Can,” a modern nod to the beloved 1994 “Dancing Man” ad. This latest campaign highlights the rewarding ritual and playful anticipation of pouring an iconic pint of Guinness at home with Guinness Nitrosurge.

Developed in partnership with AMV BBDO, the 30-second hero film “Dancing Can” was directed by Johnny Kelly and produced by BAFTA-winning Nexus Studios and was shot entirely using traditional stop-motion techniques. The lively track, “Guaglione” by Perez Prado, famously leaped to No. 1 in the Irish charts, knocking Riverdance off the top spot in 1994, the year the original aired. The campaign celebrates the quality and cheer of enjoying the perfect pour at home while highlighting the charm and innovation of Guinness Nitrosurge.

Launched in Ireland in 2021, the award-winning pocket-sized Guinness Nitrosurge device uses ultrasonic technology to create the iconic surge and satisfying settle of a smooth pint of Guinness every time, everywhere. The device is activated by clipping it onto the top of a Guinness Nitrosurge can, before pushing the button and pouring. The resulting pour is unmistakably Guinness, with its iconic dark liquid and creamy domed head.

Gabriel Corcoran, brand manager for Innovation at Guinness Ireland, said, “Guinness Nitrosurge is our most celebrated innovation of modern times, putting the power of the two-part pour in the consumer’s hands. With a nod to a quirky and charming icon of the past, this campaign brings together the best of Guinness old and new, reimaging a classic and reintroducing a beloved track that captured the nation’s imagination 30 years ago.”

AMV BBDO creative team behind the campaign Anzhela Hayrabedyan and Luca Grosso said, “Whether it’s a person or a can, 30 years later, the excitement and joy of watching the liquid settle into the perfect pint of Guinness still rings true. The unique charm and craft of stop-frame animation was the answer to bring this emotion to life."

Johnny Kelly, director at Nexus Studios, said, “The original ‘Dancing Man’ video is one of my all-time favourite pieces of advertising, so it was a complete pleasure and terror to follow in its footprints. Our animators and modelmakers ably rose to the challenge, channelling the spirit of the original into this new incarnation, in glorious miniature stop motion.”

The campaign will run across the Island of Ireland on TV, audio, online, and on social platforms in various format ensuring widespread reach and engagement .