Guinness and AMV BBDO introduce the “Dancing Can,” bringing the perfect Guinness pour to your home

Guinness is inviting more people to experience the joy and communion of a perfect pint at home with its new campaign, “Dancing Can,” a modern nod to the beloved 1994 “Dancing Man” ad. This latest campaign highlights how the Guinness Nitrosurge device puts the power of a perfect pour directly into consumers’ hands. Launched in Great Britain last year, the pocket-sized device uses ultrasonic technology to create the iconic surge with perfectly formed nitrogen bubbles delivering satisfyingly smooth Guinness every time, everywhere.

Developed in partnership with AMV BBDO, “Dancing Can” uses a stop-motion twist to capture the ritual of pouring a perfect pint of Guinness, featuring a ‘dancing’ Nitrosurge can and device. The device is activated by clipping it onto the top of a Guinness Nitrosurge can, before pushing the button and pouring. The resulting pour is unmistakably Guinness, with its iconic dark liquid and creamy domed head.

This 30-second hero film, directed by Johnny Kelly and produced by BAFTA-winning Nexus Studios, is a blend of live-action and stop-motion techniques. Set to the lively “Guaglione” track by Perez Prado, just as in the 1994 ad, the spot celebrates the quality and cheer of enjoying the perfect pour at home while highlighting the charm and innovation of the product.

In a joint statement, Anzhela Hayrabedyan and Luca Grosso, the AMV BBDO creative team behind the work, shared, “Whether it’s a person or a can, 30 years later, the excitement and joy of watching the liquid settle into the perfect pint of Guinness still rings true. The unique charm and craft of stop-frame animation was the answer to bring this emotion to life.”

Director Kelly said, “The original ‘Dancing Man’ video is one of my all-time favorite pieces of advertising, so it was a complete pleasure and terror to dance in its footprints. But I think our animator answered that conclusively. Our Guinness Can has moves I could only dream of.”

The campaign will run across Great Britain on TV, online, and social platforms in various formats.

Credits:

Client: Diageo
Brand: Guinness
Campaign title: Guinness Nitrosurge “Dancing Can”
Client name: Anna MacDonald, Nick Payman, Lauren Lewis, Colin Donnelly, Rosalind Healy and Stephen O’Kelly
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
CCO: Nicholas Hulley and Nadja Lossgott
Creative Directors: Nicholas Hulley and Nadja Lossgott
Creative Team: Anzhela Hayrabedyan and Luca Grosso
Agency Planning Team: Sam Williams and Bea Farmelo
Agency Account Team: Nick Andrew, Ella Dolding and Harry Frohlich
Agency Production Team: Nick Godden and Kieran O’Malley
Motion Design Team: Frankie Leeks
Media Agency: PHD
Production Company: Nexus Studios
Director: Johnny Kelly
Executive Producer: Jason Bartholomew
Producer: Rebecca Archer
Production Manager: Tyler Antin
Art Director: Melanie Climent
Editor: Andrea Zantiras 
Production Company: Yamination Studios 
1st AD & Art Director: Drew Roper
Production Manager / MD: Juliet Carmen Teksnes
Lead Animator: Tim Allen
Animator: Tom Edgar
DOP: Sai Smith
Post-production Company: Coffee & TV
VFX Supervisor: Leo Costa @ Coffee & TV
Sound studio: Wave Studios
Audio Post-production: Wave Studios