INTERNATIONAL BEER DAY: ICONIC TELEVISION ADVERTS TOPPED WITH BEER FOAM

International Beer Day falls on the first Friday in August each year. As well as providing an opportunity to try a new lager or thank the people who brewed and served it, the occasion offers a reason to revisit television advertisements that have succeeded in transforming an ordinary pint into a symbol of friendship, patience, craftsmanship and national identity.

The idea of celebrating beer every year originated with Jesse Avshalomov. In 2007, the American entrepreneur founded International Beer Day in Santa Cruz, California, together with Evan Hamilton, Aaron Araki and Richard Hernandez. The first celebration took place in August 2008. The organisers selected an August date because of the summer weather and because it was sufficiently far removed from other beer-related celebrations. The founders formulated three main objectives: to meet friends over a beer, pay tribute to the people who brew and serve it, and symbolically bring different countries together by sampling beer styles and brands from around the world. Today, International Beer Day is celebrated in more than 200 cities worldwide. The celebrations, which always take place on the first Friday in August, are held in pubs, breweries and private gardens. They may include tastings, beer and food pairings, pub quizzes, opportunities to sample unusual brews and brewery tours.

Beer as a commercial product: fewer pints and a greater battle for attention

With a touch of exaggeration, beer is often described as the Czech national drink. It is not merely part of the country’s traditional cuisine. It is also a significant social phenomenon associated with pub culture, gatherings among friends and a long history of brewing.

The fact remains, however, that the Czech beer market is undergoing a major transformation. In 2025, domestic breweries produced 19.96 million hectolitres of beer, 4.3% less than the previous year. Average consumption fell to a historic low of 121 litres per person. Only 28% of beer was consumed in pubs and restaurants, while retail accounted for 72%. Alcohol-free beer remained the only category showing sustained long-term growth. Its volume increased by a further 4%, and it accounted for more than 11% of total domestic consumption.

Breweries face a considerable marketing challenge. Czech consumers are thoroughly familiar with beer, so advertising does not need to explain the product itself. It must, however, persuade customers to choose one particular brand from among many similar alternatives. This means that an advertisement showing a bottle, a foaming head and a glass beaded with condensation is no longer enough. Nor is it sufficient to promote excellent flavour or an attractive price. Brands need to offer consumers a story and draw on tradition, humour, friendship, craftsmanship or the idea of time well spent. At the same time, they must respond to the shift in sales from pubs and restaurants to shops, as well as to growing demand for alcohol-free alternatives. The increasing importance of the alcohol-free category also expands the contexts in which a beer brand can present itself, including during sports, while driving or throughout the workday.

Today, let us explore some of the most interesting beer advertisements produced over the years, which may offer inspiration to brands still searching for their marketing Holy Grail.

Pilsner Urquell: Bedřich Smetana (2006)

We begin, appropriately, with a Czech example. This lavish commercial for the popular beer brand transports viewers to a stylised moment in which Bedřich Smetana is composing the symphonic cycle Má vlast. Pilsner Urquell is presented as part of Czech culture and as a possible source of inspiration for a great work of art. The advertisement, created exclusively for the Czech market, was produced by Leo Burnett and directed by Belgian filmmaker Xavier Mairesse. Both a sixty-second and a forty-second version were produced. Smetana was played by Václav Mareš, and 150 extras took part in the filming. A real musical ensemble performed in the theatre scenes. The musical notation featured in the commercial was created by a conservatoire professor to make the scenes appear authentic.


Video: Pilsner Urquell – Bedřich Smetana

Guinness: Surfer (1999)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer, this black-and-white commercial follows a group of surfers patiently waiting for an enormous wave. When it finally approaches, galloping horses appear in the white foam. The image of waiting for the right wave refers to the Guinness slogan, “Good things come to those who wait”, while also reminding viewers that pouring the perfect pint takes time. The advertisement was created by AMV BBDO and features Phat Planet by Leftfield as its soundtrack. In 2000, the commercial won a British Arrows Gold Award in the category for the year’s best television advertisement. It subsequently appeared repeatedly in rankings of Britain’s favourite commercials. In a Channel 4 viewers’ poll, it was later voted the greatest television advertisement of all time.


Video: Guinness – Surfer

Budweiser: Whassup? (1999)

The same year produced one of the best-known beer commercials of all time, despite its remarkably simple plot. A group of friends phone one another, watch a match, drink Budweiser and gradually begin shouting the drawn-out greeting “Whassup?” at each other. The campaign by DDB Chicago was based on the short film True, which Charles Stone III made with his real-life friends. The catchphrase quickly spread into television programmes, films and everyday speech. The campaign won a Grand Prix at Cannes and a Grand Clio and was inducted into the Clio Hall of Fame in 2006.


Video: Budweiser – Whassup?

Carlton Draught: Big Ad (2005)

The Australian brand Carlton Draught made fun of the grandiosity of advertising itself. Two enormous groups of people march through the New Zealand landscape, forming the shape of a person and a glass of beer when seen from above. The monumental imagery is accompanied by a melody reminiscent of O Fortuna. The new lyrics, however, openly announce that this is a big and expensive ad that had better sell some beer. The commercial was created by George Patterson Y&R and directed by Paul Middleditch. Only around 350 extras were available during filming, so the crowds of thousands were created using Massive, software developed to simulate large groups of people. Among its accolades, the advertisement received a D&AD Graphite Pencil in 2006.


Video: Carlton Draught – Big Ad

Heineken: Walk-in Fridge (2008)

A homeowner shows her friends her spacious walk-in wardrobe, prompting the women to scream with excitement. A few seconds later, even louder cheering can be heard from the adjoining room. The men have just discovered a refrigerated room filled with bottles of Heineken. The commercial by TBWA\Neboko uses a simple parallel joke that can be understood with almost no dialogue. The campaign premiered online before appearing on television and, according to the Dutch SAN database, exceeded two million views on YouTube within two weeks. In 2009, the campaign received a D&AD Wood Pencil.


Video: Heineken – Walk-in Fridge

Budweiser: Puppy Love (2014)

This Budweiser advertisement, broadcast during the Super Bowl, tells the story of a puppy that repeatedly escapes from an adoption centre to visit its friend, one of Budweiser’s famous Clydesdale horses. When a new owner attempts to drive the puppy away, the horses block the car’s path and prevent the two animal friends from being separated. The commercial was created by Anomaly, directed by Jake Scott and accompanied by Passenger’s song Let Her Go. The advertisement received an Emmy nomination and won the USA Today Ad Meter viewers’ poll. By July 2014, it had exceeded 51 million views on YouTube.


Video: Budweiser – Puppy Love

The beer is drunk, but the brand remains in people’s minds

The most successful beer advertisements share one important characteristic: the product itself is often not at the centre of the story. Guinness tells a story about patience, Budweiser about friendship, Heineken about a shared experience and Carlton Draught about the extravagance of advertising. Pilsner Urquell, meanwhile, connects its brand with Czech cultural history. In these commercials, beer is transformed from a fast-moving consumer product into a vehicle for emotions, values and shared memories. That is precisely why viewers still remember some of them decades after they were first broadcast.

Sources: internationalbeerday.com, ceske-pivo.cz prazdroj.cz, whazup.com, sanaccent.nl, anheuser-busch.com