• AdAge, Friday, December 18, 2009 11 AM

The iconic stout is moving its marketing online via a partnership with Google Earth, wherein people can create their own virtual realities and invite friends to join them on Facebook, reports Emma Hall from London.

Users select an area of the planet and ask friends to contribute their own kingdoms until an entire planet is made. The more diverse the planet, the more water droplets Guinness will embed into the world they are building. When users discover a certain number of water droplets, they get the key to unlock a "golden pint" and win a case of Guinness. The ultimate winner gets a year's supply of beer.

Paul Cornell, marketing manager at Guinness, said in a statement, "We wanted to create an amazing campaign which graphically illustrates the life, energy and passion of our brand and its drinkers. No longer can we rely on just a distinctive TV ad to generate the required level of impact, we also have to really involve and reward the consumer."

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