St Patrick’s Day Social Media Campaigns Leveraging the Celebration as a Marketing Powerhouse

Booze, head-to-toe green outfits, and the Dropkick Murpheys blasting in the background. That’s right, St Patrick’s Day is here again. 

Whilst St Patrick’s Day is merely yet another excuse to head to the pub for most of the world, the holiday is deeply entrenched in a rich and meaningful history; one often forgotten by those downing endless baby guinness at their local Irish pub. 

As such, the holiday is a wonderful opportunity for brands with Irish heritage to show off their marketing chops and connect with their audiences through St Patrick’s Day social media campaigns. Brands should beware, however, as there is a fine line between cheerful and tacky when it comes to St Patrick’s Day activations; toe it carefully, or risk losing your audience all together. 

Read on to find out which brands have aced their St Patrick’s Day social media campaigns, and how your brand can do the same. 

ST PATRICK’S DAY SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF 

Guinness x Carhartt 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=0x_Gh1031c0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.outbrain.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

Each year the Chicago River is dyed a glorious, completely unnatural green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Yet, all that hard work typically goes unnoticed. In 2020 Guinness and Carhartt teamed up to change that, and spotlight the minds behind the infamous green river – The Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Local Union 130. The result was one of the most memorable St Patrick’s Day social media campaigns to date; a heartwarming ad that celebrates the community of Chicago and delivers a healthy dose of Irish nostalgia. 

McDonald’s Shamrock Shake 

American consumers eagerly wait all year long for the release of the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. Tall, green, and perfectly minty, this cult classic has become a St Patrick’s Day staple since it was first introduced 50 odd years ago; easily topping the charts of St Patrick’s Day social media campaigns every year. Each year McDonald’s introduces the re-release of the shake in a new way. In 2022, the brand released the hex code of the green used in the shake, and asked consumers to make Shamrock Shake fan art using the colour. The result? Plenty of authentic user-generated content and genuine brand/consumer interactions. 

Jameson x Regina Hall 

Working on St Patrick’s Day is not for the weak. Sitting in the office whilst the rest of the city parties? No way! To solve this issue, Jameson Whiskey worked with Regina Hall to create the perfect excuse to get off work on St Patrick’s Day – S.P.T.O, or, St Patrick’s Day Time Off. In a tongue-in-cheek ad, Hall creates a decoy of herself to leave in her office whilst she goes out on the town. Consumers were able to create their very own “desk decoy” for $17.80, the proceeds of which were donated to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Fund to top off the $25,000 donation from Jameson. 

Bushmills “Don’t be a Sheep”

Ever tried to herd sheep into a bar? Well, Bushmills has! 400-year-old whiskey distillery Bushmills decided to take a different route to other St Patrick’s Day social media campaigns in 2024. The popular brand led a flock of sheep into a bar in New York in a hilarious Mekanism-developed campaign. Each sheep was named after Bushmills top competitors – Jack, Jim, Jameson, and Johnnie – reminding consumers to not be a sheep, and drink Bushmills instead. 

Guinness “Best Toastmaster” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx-O4HyGqp8

A true cultural icon, Guinness truly leads the way when it comes to popular St Patrick’s Day drinks. And the best way to enjoy a Guinness? With friends, in a toast. The brand celebrated this in 2024 through a “toastmaster” contest. Consumers were tasked with making the most inventive St Patrick’s Day toast in the chance of winning a cash prize of $10,000. The winner – dubbed the Ultimate Toastmaster – won a whopping $1 million.

Kahlua “Bored of Stout”

Stout may be what everyone reaches for on St Patrick’s Day, but what if we told you there was another option? That was the theme of Kahlúa’s St Patrick’s Day campaign in 2024. Through a series of out-of-home billboards and an accompanying film, Kahlúa invited consumers to stir things up and have an espresso martini this St Patrick’s Day. The brand cleverly positioned itself as the drink for those who are “bored of stout”, winning over the hearts of consumers everywhere. 

Sandbox “Irish Shebeen” 

What if we told you you don’t even have to leave your living room to celebrate St Patrick’s Day? For 12 days in March of 2024, the decentralised gaming platform Sandbox created a virtual St Patrick’s Day celebration for those more comfortable at home. Featuring the world’s very first metaverse Irish pub, the Irish Shebeen, users were able to play quests and earn limited edition collectibles, as well as a real bottle of Kinahan Whiskey. 

Whilst not strictly a St Patrick’s Day social media campaign, Sandbox has well and truly earned a spot on this list with this genius activation. 

HOW TO ENGAGE WITH ST PATRICK’S DAY SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS

Ultimately, as with anything in marketing, the key to a successful St Patrick’s Day marketing campaign is authenticity. 

What sets the aforementioned examples above the rest is their original take on St Patrick’s Day. Rather than leaning on clichés about the holiday, they instead play into their own unique identity and how this relates to St Patrick’s Day. In doing so, these campaigns stand the test of time and create genuine audience interactions; building brand loyalty as a result. 

As such, for any brands looking to test their luck and go for gold this St Patrick’s Day, remain true to your history and culture and you are sure to find a pot of gold at the end of the marketing rainbow.