St. Patrick’s Day on a Friday!

St. Patrick’s Day on a Friday!

Guinness billboard photo courtesy of EMC Outdoor

Having an office in Times Square makes our team’s commute to our office an obstacle course on a normal day.  But March 17th presents our team with a true challenge – St. Patrick’s Day…on a Friday…in Manhattan.

According to the National Retail Federation, this perfect storm has pushed spending to a new high, with Americans planning to spend nearly $38 a piece celebrating the holiday on average. More than 1 in 4 people plan to celebrate at a bar or restaurant – and however they get there, whether it is by car, cab, transit, or on foot, they will be exposed to out of home advertising (OOH).

What a great time to reach them with advertising for St. Patrick’s Day’s signature beverage – beer.

Counties Where People Overindex For Drinking Beer in a Bar in the Last 30 Days

Map of Beer Drinking
Source: Esri/Geopath

People who had a beer in a bar or restaurant in the last 30 days are 15% more likely than the total population to say that they’ve noticed an OOH ad in the last month. They are 23% more likely to say that they’ve noticed a billboard and 29% more likely to say they’ve noticed an ad on a subway or platform.  In fact, they over index in noticing of every single OOH format that is measured by Simmons.  (Spring 2016 NHCS Adult Study 12-month)

While many people will enjoy the smooth taste of a green-tinted beer at their local watering hole this St. Patrick’s Day, many will choose the bubbly, brown, un-dyeable Guinness.  According to WalletHub, people will drink 13 million pints of Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day.  That is enough beer to fill 3 Olympic-sized swimming pools!

Consumers who drink Guinness pay attention to OOH – overindexing in notice of every format that Geopath measures. They are 55% more likely than the average American to say they’ve noticed a bus ad in the last 30 days, 51% more likely to say they’ve noticed a mobile billboard, and 31% more likely to say they’ve noticed a billboard.

So, whatever you are drinking this St. Patrick’s Day, please get home safely.  Take a cab, share a ride, or take public transportation.  It will give you more time to enjoy the OOH!

For more stats and facts, visit Geopath’s geekOUT Library and have a happy St. Patrick’s Day!