Guinness’s ‘Never Settle’ campaign identified a critical barrier to equality in women’s sports: the pervasive issue of ill-fitting footwear. Challenging the industry’s “shrink it and pink it” mentality, which often provides women with products merely scaled down from male designs, Guinness partnered with IDA Sports, the world’s pioneering women’s specific boot manufacturer. Together, they created the IDA x Guinness ‘Never Settle’ boot – a first-of-its-kind soft-ground boot engineered specifically for the female foot, launched strategically during the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
This initiative aimed to empower female athletes by addressing their anatomical needs, significantly improve Guinness’s brand sentiment, generate global awareness and inspire consumers to support women’s sports. Through a deep collaboration with IDA, athlete-centric design, and a comprehensive, multi-faceted media strategy featuring influential player ambassadors, earned media in top-tier publications, and engaging social content, the campaign delivered exceptional results. Guinness dramatically rose from 14th to 5th in the Most Appealing Women’s Sports Sponsor rankings, achieved over 500 million global reach, and IDA Sports experienced a remarkable 435% increase in website traffic. Crucially, 86% of consumers took positive action after seeing the campaign, demonstrating profound inspiration and engagement.
Beyond immediate impact, Guinness donated 1,000 boots to grassroots players, establishing a new blueprint for purpose-driven sponsorships. This campaign not only addressed a fundamental inequality in sport but also solidified Guinness’s commitment to inclusivity, proving that by truly embodying its ‘Never Settle’ ethos, brands can drive both meaningful social change and significant business growth.
