Fandom Without Borders: How Guinness Goes Global

Fandom is power – and Guinness is championing its importance. The brand's sponsorship of the English Premier League is one of many layers of fandom; and it’s latest work puts it at the very heart and centre – regardless of geographical location.

‘A Lovely Day’ by VML is a celebration of Premier League fans across the globe as it promotes its Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (FES) – the ‘extra’ representing the extra hops brewed at a higher gravity designed to last long sea voyages. 

It too spotlights Guinness’ partnership with the Premier League as its Official Beer and Non-Alcoholic Beer to key markets, including Africa and Asia.

“Guinness shines a light on the people, places and rituals which transcend teams and geographies,” explains Somnath Dasgupta, Guinness’ global marketing director. “Arsenal Gospel services, bespoke Chelsea kits and salons creating football-inspired braids. These intimate, often quirky, and always passionate moments that elevate match-days beyond 90 minutes enriches the sense of belonging that’s unique to Premier League fan communities.”

Putting fandom first

The Premier League is one of the most-watched leagues in the world; in 2024/25 33.9 million UK viewers tuned in, and it's estimated that a total of 1.87 billion people follow globally. 

For Guinness, showing up for fans is a priority claims Dasgupta. “Fandom, and indeed sport, is ultimately about the feeling of belonging that it creates. The campaign focuses on fans far from the stadiums – in places like Kenya and South-East Asia. The Premier League is a global cultural occasion that enables Guinness to reach and engage consumers all over the world. Millions of fans, coming together in stadiums, pubs and homes, united by their love of the game.” 

True to its traditional storytelling style, keeping humans at the heart was a grounding factor of the work’s brief, which features at least one fan of every one of the 20 Premier League teams.

“We started with what Guinness has always done best: telling human stories with emotional weight and cultural truth, and then asking who hasn’t been fully seen yet. The answer was clear: the global fan,” outlines Marco Bezerra, ECD at VML. 

“The idea of ‘Extra’ became our bridge, rooted in the product truth – that Guinness Foreign Extra Stout was originally brewed with extra hops to survive long ocean voyages – but expressed through people whose fandom goes further, travels further, and means a lot.

“It felt less like changing direction and more like opening the lens wider, letting new voices carry the same timeless spirit. Same soul, just a broader stage. Guinness, but with a slightly bigger passport.”

The making of the work saw teams immerse themselves in different cultures whom all share the same passion: Premier League football. And the most important part of piecing the work together was it had to be and feel real.

“Authenticity was paramount,” explains Dasgupta. “Finding real fans and communities was non-negotiable. Working with VML UK, we researched how communities across Africa and South-East Asia come together in the football viewing occasion, and we found fans who don't just watch the Premier League, they wear it, drive it, and build their lives around it.” 

Adding an additional layer of authenticity was the work's documentary style of filming - facilitating being able to tell real stories about real people.

“The documentary style allowed us to capture texture, nuance and spontaneity in a way that scripted work simply wouldn’t,” explains Bezerra. “Using a blend of 16mm [film] and digital helped reinforce that sense of realism while still delivering the craft Guinness is known for. It gave us something that felt both intimate and cinematic.

“When the story is real, the best direction is often to step back slightly and let it unfold. That meant creating the conditions for real moments to emerge, then letting people, spaces and behaviours lead the storytelling.”

And for Bezerra, while the match is the focal point, the rituals make it matter – the gatherings, the preparation, the emotional investment – all behaviours in football the work aimed to highlight. 

“The 90 minutes may start the emotion, but it’s everything around it that keeps it alive. That’s why the film lives in the spaces around the game - the late nights, the communal watch parties, the small acts of devotion that make football feel bigger than the pitch.”

According to the pair, finding global fans wasn't a difficult task, but finding the right stories for the moment presented more challenging. 

The goal of the work was to include individuals whose lives “genuinely reflect” the ‘Extra’ spirit brought by Guinness FES, Bezerra adds, which required both time and balance; “Our responsibility was to represent them honestly, without romanticising or simplifying their experiences. That balance is always the hardest part.”

Leveraging partnership

The Premier League and Guinness are two global brands enjoyed by millions – further activating the partnership is opening global doors across 80 markets, says Dasgupta. 

“We don’t just sponsor from the side-lines,” he continues. “We invest in the culture around the game, whether that’s through elevating fan stories or creating meaningful platforms like Guinness Extra that adds extra passion and extra belief for fans and extra value for the fan experience itself.”

For VML the task was no easy feat; staying true to the emotional craft Guinness is known for while continuing to reach new audiences. For Bezerra, VML’s shared belief in craft and meaning with the brand allows work like this to be made. 

“Guinness doesn’t chase trends. It invests in ideas that endure, which allows for a level of creative depth that’s increasingly rare. There’s a mutual respect for storytelling that is both emotional and precise.”

He continues: “It’s a partnership that expects high standards but gives you the space to meet them properly. And in a world of quick wins, it’s refreshing to work with a brand that still values the long game.”

And for Guinness, being able to adapt its history as a brand and turn it into modern-day storytelling is something it revels in - something Dasgupta values from its work with VML. 

“For this campaign, VML truly understood how to delve into local fan insights and rituals, transforming that understanding into meaningful, community-driven stories, through a fresh, modern lens, focusing on real fans, not actors. They delivered the level of craft and emotion Guinness is known for, and helped us to create a genuine, impactful story that resonated deeply.” 

If there’s one thing the work shows: fandom has no boundaries, regardless of where in the world they are.