Beer ads typically portray men as sports-obsessed, masculine and womanizing, as we showcased in our “Beer me, Bro” infographic last year, and are not known for making major headlines outside of Super Bowl season.

The newest ad from Guinness proves that being different at the right time will garner lots of attention. If you are not already one of the 5,000,000 viewers of this ad, take a minute to watch it. Even if you have seen it, you’ll probably want to watch it again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xwndLOKQTDs

Guinness generally isn’t known for traditional beer advertising (look no further than their “brilliant!” ads), and they broke the mold once again, this time by opting for a more sincere display of friendship among men, combined with an unexpected twist that draws an audience in at the perfect time. Talk about brilliant.

For ad agencies and brands alike, market research can help gain insight directly into the consumer audience to better understand what really speaks to them. Plus, the beauty of market research is that it allows you to test a variety of stimuli, including videos and images, among your exact target audience, allowing you to gauge precisely what really speaks to them and ultimately impacts purchasing decisions.