How Booze Goes Social for Saint Patrick’s Day

Saint Patrick's Day is known for heavy boozing, and major Irish brands like like Guinness, Jameson and Baileys are taking the annual opportunity to full marketing advantage.

Thanks to digital and social media, these beverage companies have devised innovative ways to make consumers feel a part of the party without even setting foot out the door.

Using livestream, social media and interactive tactics, these brands are able to turn the Irish holiday into one big global party — in fact, some are going as far as attempting to achieve a Guinness World Record for it.

Whether it's for VIP vacation prizes or simply more likes on Facebook — here are the big and small digital things brands are doing in marketing for St. Patrick's Day.

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Jameson

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Jameson is sending out a global invitation to "embrace your Irish spirit," relying on 35 radio stations from 11 different countries that will broadcast from the Old Jameson Distillery. On top of that, there will be a livestream available online from ten different Jameson global parties.

Looking for party decoration or drink recipes? Jameson has made a St. Patrick's Day Guide with a party pdf that includes cocktail ideas, party banners and even a guide to Irish slang.

If whiskey tasting's your thing, Jameson regrets to inform you it has yet to discover a way to make that virtually possible. However, there is a video that gives a good introduction to the Irish whiskey. You can even download a comparative tasting mat to use as you watch along.

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Guinness

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Guinness is gearing up for St. Patrick's Day with hopes to achieve the Guinness World Record for "Largest St. Patrick's Day Celebration." This year, the company is launching a global online campaign to officially make it the "Friendliest Day of the Year."

"Every year, St Patrick's Day is celebrated by millions of people all around the world as a special occasion imbued with the spirit of true Irish friendliness – it has become the perfect opportunity to get together with friends, raise a pint of Guinness and enjoy one of the greatest days of the year," says Guinness's master brewer Fergal Murray.

After signing the campaign, Guinness has an animated interactive infographic filled with facts about its beer and St. Patrick's Day. For example, did you know every year 13,000,000 pints of Guinness are poured on St. Patrick's Day? That's enough to fill 60 percent of the Empire State Building.

Each factoid on the infographic is sharable to your social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and email.

There's also a Guinness Storehouse app, available for Android and iOS, that lets you tour the storehouse from your phone and browse the Dublin skyline. Additional features include an extensive timeline about the company's history and recipes.

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Baileys

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For users in need of a little Irish spirit on their Facebook profile, Baileys Irish Cream has an app for that. You can jazz up your profile picture with a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" logo from an app on the Baileys Facebook Page.

Whether you want a hot drink, cold drink or dessert, the Baileys website has plenty of recipes when you're ready for a St. Patrick's Day nightcap.

Is St. Patrick's Day a big seller for your company? Let us know in the comments how you're celebrating.

Image courtesy of skywaaker