Guinness Street Studio: Guinness transformed traditional billboards into a real-time product shot street studio, creating the most convincing ads directed and crafted by people

Imagined and developed with creative agency Fred & Farid Shanghai

In a groundbreaking marketing initiative, Guinness has unveiled the innovative Guinness Street Studio, – a campaign developed with Fred & Farid Shanghai – ​ transforming traditional billboard advertising into an interactive consumer experience that has dramatically increased brand engagement and sales across China.

The campaign represents the second installment of the brand platform launched last year with Fred & Farid Shanghai‘s acclaimed “A Whole Universe” campaign. While the first chapter educated Chinese consumers about Guinness‘s unique properties through a cosmic visual odyssey highlighting the 200 million nitrogen bubbles in every pour, this new activation brings that universe directly to consumers, allowing them to experience the brand’s distinctive qualities firsthand.

The campaign addresses a critical business challenge for Guinness in the Chinese market, where less than 0.1% of consumers have tried the iconic stout, largely due to hesitation about its distinctive appearance. Rather than relying on traditional product photography, the Guinness Street Studio puts consumers in control, allowing them to create, direct, and craft their own perfect Guinness pour.

“Chinese consumers trust what they can verify themselves,” said Feng Huang, co-founder and executive creative director of Fred & Farid Shanghai. “The Guinness Street Studio bridges the gap between advertising and reality, creating authentic content from real consumer experiences.”

Located on several of Shanghai’s busiest streets, the tech-driven billboards feature a custom-built beer tap where consumers can pour their own pint. A camera inside the tap captures every surge in real-time, streaming the iconic Guinness cascade on the billboard itself. Participants can then sign their creation directly on the digital display, transforming their pour into personalized product shots that appear on billboards throughout Shanghai, as well as on TV and social media platforms.

“We’ve essentially created the largest ‘model release’ for a single beer brand” continues Feng Huang. “What began as a sampling experience has evolved into a user-generated content phenomenon that continues to drive awareness and sales long after the initial activation.”

The Guinness Street Studio represents a new frontier in experiential marketing, combining real-world product interaction with digital amplification. The user-generated product shots continue to appear on social media and OOH displays throughout China, extending the campaign’s impact far beyond its initial three-day run.

Source: FRED & FARID SHANGHAI

  Advertising, Alcohol, Beverage, Campaign, China, Fred & Farid, Fred & Farid Shanghai, Guinness, Guinness Street Studio, Marketing, OOH, Shanghai