Diageo faces backlash over Arthur’s Day celebrations

Since when have the Irish become such morose whinge-pots? Even before Diageo, the owner of Guinness, invited punters to be in a bar by 5:59 pm on 26 September to raise a glass to Arthur – that’s Arthur Guinness, the brewery’s founder – a growing chorus of critics has called the festivities, which bring together three celebrated strands of Irish culture, namely Guinness, the pub and music, a “national embarrassment”. They argue that it is merely a PR stunt, aimed at promoting the company’s brands, and that there is nothing to celebrate in binge drinking.

Arthur’s Day was first launched in 2009 when Guinness celebrated the 250th anniversary of the drink that made Ireland famous. This year, over 1000 musicians were scheduled to perform at 500 locations across Ireland, with smaller events taking place in many other countries, including Malaysia, Spain, Singapore, Italy, Indonesia, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

The very vocal backlash seems to have taken Diageo by surprise. While advocates of personal responsibility noted that Diageo is not forcing Guinness down anyone’s throat, Diageo felt compelled to bow to social pressure. The company promised to send its European corporate relations director to an accident and emergency ward, to witness the fallout. They also said they would continue to sponsor the event as long as the public backed it.

“And that may be the rub. With the event having generated huge debate this year in mainstream and social media, some commentators have begun to wonder if the publicity-attuned Diageo may ultimately decide that the hangover simply is not worth it,” the New York Times wrote.

I find this whole debate in Ireland most strange. In Munich we have the Oktoberfest, a 16 day party of beer, food and music. As a festival it continues to go from strength to strength, despite the fact that hundreds of people amongst the six million visitors end up extremely intoxicated and need to spend some time at the sobering-up marquees specifically set up for those unable to stagger back home. Although I, for many years, used to be a personal victim of the Oktoberfest’s “fallout” because my office was right next to the Oktoberfest grounds and every day on my way to my car I would have to wade through puddles of puke or step over drunken people sleeping it off, I would not have dreamt of calling for a ban or organising a “Stop-the-Oktoberfest” campaign.

I hope that Diageo have the courage to continue with their Arthur’s Day celebrations. Because it’s your personal responsibility and not the festival’s organiser’s how much drink you can handle.