Guinness, an iconic name in the brewing world, has been synonymous with premium quality and rich flavours since its inception in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. Recognised by its famous harp logo, which also serves as Ireland's national emblem, Guinness has built a global reputation for excellence, particularly in draught beer. As a brand rooted in tradition yet open to innovation, Guinness sought a luxurious, festive product for the 2023 holiday season to elevate their brand presence.
For Christmas 2023, Guinness partnered with Magellan to create an exclusive, high-end 12-day advent calendar. The concept was to offer consumers a unique experience by revealing a miniature bottle of premium alcohol each day, reinforcing the Guinness brand’s association with luxury and sophistication.
Magellan crafted 200 of these exclusive 12-day advent calendars, ensuring that the design and craftsmanship reflected the premium nature of the Guinness brand. The exterior of the advent calendar is adorned with a full-colour print that is visually striking and engaging. To enhance its appeal, a matte lamination and an unprinted anti-scuff layer were added, ensuring both durability and a refined, sophisticated finish.
Constructed from high-quality rigid board, the calendar's structure is solid and enduring. Its dimensions, 158mm x 205mm x 122mm, provide ample space for the miniature bottles inside, each tucked away in a drawer measuring 120mm x 50mm x 50mm. The drawers are made from 3mm greyboard and follow a practical 4x3 layout, combining aesthetic elegance with user-friendly functionality. Each drawer is designed with a die-cut fold, allowing for easy access to the alcohol inside, while still maintaining the element of surprise.
To ensure this advent calendar stood out in the competitive alcohol market, Guinness curated a selection of 12 miniature bottles, offering a diverse range of flavours and brands to appeal to a broad audience. The selection included well-known names like Smirnoff Original, Chase, Smirnoff Raspberry, Gordons Gin Original, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray London Dry Gin, Gordons Pink Gin, Tanqueray No. 10, and Baileys.
The crowning moment comes on the 12th day, when the calendar reveals a bottle of Guinness, a fitting conclusion to a premium collection of drinks. The careful curation of the alcohols, combined with the exclusivity of the calendar, made it a highly sought-after gift for the holiday season.
The advent calendar’s exterior was carefully designed to capture the spirit of the holiday season while staying true to Guinness’s brand identity. A luxurious snow-themed design in the iconic Guinness gold color created instant recognition, making the calendar a standout gift for Christmas 2023. The matte lamination, combined with the anti-scuff layer, ensured the calendar maintained its elegance throughout the holiday season.
Each drawer also contained a scannable barcode, which allowed recipients to learn more about the specific alcohol revealed each day. This interactive feature added an educational and engaging dimension, transforming the calendar into not just a gift, but an immersive experience.
The festive season is a time of joy, anticipation, and togetherness, and what better way to celebrate than with an advent calendar that counts down the days to Christmas or other special occasions? For businesses, advent calendars offer a unique opportunity to promote their brand, products, or services in a fun and engaging way. While luxury rigid board advent calendars are popular for their high-end appeal, they can be quite expensive. However, there’s an equally exciting alternative that combines cost-effectiveness with creativity: traditional self-promo advent calendars.
Traditional Advent Calendars: A Budget-Friendly Option:
Traditional advent calendars are a fantastic choice for businesses looking to create memorable promotional products without breaking the bank. These calendars, typically filled with delightful milk chocolate squares, offer a fun and interactive way to count down to Christmas, a product launch, or any special event. Made in the UK, these chocolates are suitable for vegetarians, kosher, and halal, ensuring they cater to a wide audience.
What sets these advent calendars apart is their customisability. Businesses can personalise each calendar with their unique artwork and have it printed in eye-catching full colour. Whether you choose to print on one side or both, the large branding area provides ample space to showcase your logo, message, or design. Additionally, you can add a unique message or image behind each door, making the countdown even more exciting for recipients.
The dimensions of these calendars are slightly smaller than A4, making them compact yet impactful. With a minimum order quantity of 100 units, they are an ideal choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking to create a significant impression during the festive season. For added freshness, foil backing can be included at an extra cost, ensuring that the luxurious chocolates inside stay deliciously fresh.
Ramadan Advent Calendars: A Thoughtful Twist on Tradition:
While Christmas advent calendars are a staple of the festive season, businesses can also consider Ramadan advent calendars as a unique promotional tool. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is observed by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection. A Ramadan advent calendar offers a thoughtful and culturally sensitive way to engage with Muslim customers during this significant time.
Like the traditional advent calendars, Ramadan calendars can be fully customised with your artwork and messages. These calendars feature 30 doors, representing each day of Ramadan, with a sweet treat behind each one to be enjoyed at Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the fast. This not only adds a touch of fun to the fasting period but also provides an educational element, with messages of Hadith or other meaningful quotes behind each door.
Ramadan advent calendars can also be designed as desktop versions, which are smaller yet equally impactful. These calendars are digitally printed with Ramadan-themed designs and can include your company’s logo, making them an excellent promotional gift for Muslim families or businesses during the holy month.
The Perfect Promotional Tool:
Self-promo advent calendars, whether for Christmas or Ramadan, offer a budget-friendly alternative to luxury rigid board options. They allow businesses to creatively engage with their audience, building brand awareness and loyalty during the festive season. With options to customise both the design and the contents, these calendars are versatile, memorable, and, most importantly, cost-effective.
So, if you’re looking for a way to spread holiday cheer while promoting your brand, consider opting for traditional or Ramadan advent calendars. They’re not just a sweet treat—they’re a sweet deal for your marketing strategy.
