Heineken Is Recruiting the Next Owner of a Rural Irish Pub, With One Stipulation
On Achill Island, off Ireland's rugged west coast, there's a pub called McLoughlin's Bar that's been in the family for four generations and part of the community for 155 years. The current owner, Joseph "Josie" McLoughlin, was born upstairs in the pub and has worked behind the bar for 43 years.
Now McLoughlin is about to retire, and he has no one in the family to pass the pub on to.
Enter Heineken, which is running an unconventional recruitment campaign to find the pub's next owner. There's one important requirement, though: your name must also be McLoughlin.
Heineken's "Pub Succession" initiative launches on St. Patrick's Day (March 17), when Irish pubs are naturally in the spotlight, and will be open until the end of May in cities around the world.
From New York to Boston to Buenos Aires to Sydney to Phan Thiết, Vietnam–all places where large numbers of Irish people have emigrated–the brewer will run billboards, ads, and a digital and PR campaign to find a McLoughlin successor.
Besides sharing a name with the current owner, the right candidate must also have experience in hospitality, a passion for running a pub, and a desire to immerse themselves in Irish pub culture, according to the brand. If the search is unsuccessful, Heineken may explore other ways to help Josie McLoughlin find his replacement.
The successful applicant will also receive mentorship, business support, and investment guidance from Heineken.
LePub and Publicis Dublin created the campaign, with support from PR agencies The Romans, Thinkhouse, and M Booth.
More than an Irish-themed marketing stunt for St. Patrick's Day, Heineken's initiative aims to address a bigger issue. Many family-run Irish pubs face an uncertain future, as more than 4 in 10 rural publicans say they are considering retirement, but 84% have no family to take on their legacy, per data from trade organization Vintners' Federation of Ireland.
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"Pubs in Ireland are more than just places to enjoy a drink; they are living pieces of history, places of laughter, song, and kinship. With many of these institutions facing uncertain futures, we want to rally the Irish diaspora, inspiring a new generation of pub owners to take on not just a business, but a cultural legacy," Mark Noble, marketing manager at Heineken Ireland, said in a statement.
This is part of a broader program, "For the Love of Pubs," through which Heineken supports and invests in pubs. Last year, the brewer invested about $50 million (£39 million) to upgrade and reopen British pubs.
Also in 2024, Heineken's "Pub Museums" campaign used augmented reality (AR) technology to preserve the stories of Irish pubs. It won gold and silver Lions at Cannes Lions and was shortlisted for the Titanium Lions.
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