When a brand exists in different formats, its owners can apply portfolio management to maximise its fortunes. Examining user patterns for Guinness over a 25-year period, using TGI data held within AMSR, illustrates this perfectly.
Guinness has several formats: Draught, Bottled and Canned. In 1987 TGI showed them to have very similar consumer levels – each of the three had close to 2.5m drinkers (there’s likely to be overlap between them of course). But over the next 25 years their paths diverged significantly.
Looking at the topline 5-year trends in user numbers, we see Draught Guinness experiencing 15 years of strong growth from 1987 to a peak in 2002. Meanwhile the number of Bottled Guinness drinkers declined before picking up in 2012. Canned Guinness grew through to 1997, by which time there were two variants in production (Original and Draught). Although usage of Canned Guinness tailed off subsequently, it was counterbalanced by the jump in Draught drinkers at least until 2002.
Source: Kantar Media TGI
The TGI data allow us to dig into more detail behind these headline numbers.
By 2002, the 4.4 million Draught Guinness drinkers represented 9.5% of the adult population; this had almost doubled compared to 1987, when the figure was 5.5%. Usage eased off to 7.8% million by 2007 and 6.4% million by 2012. Over the same period its user profile became older. In 1987, 48% of Draught Guinness drinkers were aged 18-34; by 2012 this proportion was only 33%. Conversely, the proportion of older drinkers (those aged 55+) jumped from 17% in 1987 to 28% in 2012. The gender profile of Draught Guinness drinkers has remained fairly constant: around 80% male and 20% female.
Bottled Guinness has a slightly higher proportion of female drinkers, at around 30% throughout. Its overall demographic profile remained constant, indicating that its decline over this period took place across the board.
Canned Guinness shows a different pattern again. The technological innovation of the ‘widget’ device in the late 1980s, to manage the characteristics of the beer’s head, may have contributed to its 1990s growth period. By 1997 TGI was distinguishing between different canned variants, among which ‘Guinness Original’ and ‘Draught Guinness’ both had over 2 million drinkers. That appears to have been the high-water mark, as numbers dropped subsequently. Here too there was a demographic shift away from 15-34s and towards 55+ drinkers, albeit not as pronounced as for Draught Guinness. The gender profile became more male: from around 70% to 80% over the 25-year period.
The Guinness story gives us a fascinating picture of a business managing its brand assets over a long period – all made possible by the existence of continuous survey data.
Source:
TGI (Target Group Index) is a continuous survey which has been carried out in Great Britain since 1969, based on 25,000 adults per annum, who provide information on their use of all major products, brands and services. Media exposure, attitudinal and demographic data are also included. Kantar, who own and operate TGI, have made major donations of data to AMSR. To explore the TGI archive within AMSR, click here: Target Group Index – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org)
All data copyright © Kantar Media UK Limited 2025. All use of TGI Data is subject to Kantar Media UK Limited’s terms and conditions.
Contributed by Geoff Wicken
Date posted: 29th September 2025