Proposition 3-17
February 14th, 2008
I’m not a big Valentine’s Day person. I think a lot of people dislike February 14th for a lot of different reasons. So I choose to forego celebrating today (aside from eating the DELICIOUS cake that Brandy made us), and I will forge ahead to a holiday that deserves our support.
Guinness, in true Irish fashion, is sponsoring a petition to make St. Patrick’s Day an official holiday - Proposition 3-17… get it? Citing the fact that there are “nine times more Irish-Americans in this country than there are people in all of Ireland,” they have a host of emotional and logical reasons to officially recognize the green-beeriest of holidays, from allowing people to “express their Irishness” to solving the problem of people missing work due to celebration (though, to be honest… perhaps we should be taking the day off on the 18th, if that’s the argument). They need 1 million signatures in order to submit the proposition to congress - and they’re aiming for that number by midnight on March 16th. So far… they have 994,764 to go. That’s already about a thousand less than when I signed yesterday. But what’s great about this particular website is not just the concept of celebrating my people (yup… I’m Irish and I’m proud!), or the concept of getting another day off work. What’s great is the layers of the petition.
First of all, when you sign the petition, you’re not just typing in your name. You’re using their little mouse-operated pen to clumsily scrawl your actual signature, which is just a little more personal. You also get to submit a reason for signing (”Saying ‘kiss me, I’m Irish’ is the only line I’ve got going for me,” for example), and a photo of your Irish pride if you feel so inclined. And you can browse through the images people left, which puts fun and faces behind the signatures. Also great is the signature countdown… I always love seeing that I had a numerical effect on something. I get to see the result of my contribution immediately, and that makes me feel like I mattered.
Obviously Guinness isn’t hurting for recognition or market share. Since their inception, Guinness has always found fun, interesting, authentic ways to engage their fans… and I’m excited to see this one that goes beyond their beer to a deeper shared value. I have always loved the Guinness brand… even if I can’t actually handle the product itself. I’ve been to the brewery, I’ve spent money on their swag, I’ve even made up songs about them with my college roommates. And I love ‘em all the more for letting us celebrate the Irish in each of us… or just the Irish next to us. You do have to be 21 to sign the petition… so head on over for some social activism we can all support!
Other posts by Jennifer.
Jenny says:
i LOVE st. patrick’s day! (see, i do love something on valentine’s day).
February 14th, 2008 at 11:56 amVirginia Miracle says:
Did you see the new Guinness coaster campaign? They are doing a lot of interesting stuff http://www.idea-sandbox.com/blog/2008/02/my_genius_my_guinness.html
February 14th, 2008 at 12:50 pmCarrie says:
I love this brand and this beer for so many reasons! Now they have given me another one.
February 17th, 2008 at 4:03 pmCarrie says:
Dear Guinness,
February 18th, 2008 at 6:17 pmI was so excited to read Jen’s post last night (Jen is a wonderful co-worker here at BoF). So, I read the post and rushed right over to your site and signed the petition. Then came back to the post and exclaimed my excitement and love for your brand.
I made my pilgrimage to St. James Gate for my 29th birthday. I have Gilroy advertisement posters donning my kitchen as the focal point of each wall. I take every chance I get to educate others in pubs about the fact Guinness is not “such a heavy beer”, as many claim it is. (Guinness has less calories than a Budweiser.) I belong to the 1759 Society…which brings me to the point of this note…I’m upset. I have been thinking about it all day…Why didn’t you let me know about proposition 3-17? You have my email address and snail mail address. You know I’m a fan, because I joined the society via your website on my own free accord.
Let me know what you are doing and I can pass the word along. Let’s have a conversion!
Jen, Thank you for letting me know about 3-17.
Guinness, check out Maker’s Mark Ambassador Program. They are doing a remarkable job with keeping their fans in the know.
Sincerely,
Carrie
Disappointed Fan
Jennifer says:
Ooooh… good point Carrie. Reach out to everyone… but don’t leave your already faithful in the dust! The 1759 Society should be the generals in this initiative! Forgive the pun… but they really should have tapped into that resource. heh heh heh.
February 19th, 2008 at 6:16 amMichelle says:
They made updates to http://www.proposition317.com! Now you can upload a photo and see what states have the most amount of signatures.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:12 amRandy says:
Making this a holiday would give me
March 10th, 2008 at 6:39 pm24 A {NICE EVEN NUMBER} holidays a year I GET OFF FROM WORK….
. B-DAYS & LINCOLN’S B-DAY COUNT AS HOLIDAYS WERE I WORK..
Dennis says:
I celebrated 3-17 my own way: by dying my Guinness green.
http://drinksandeats.blogspot.com/2008/03/green-guinness.html
March 18th, 2008 at 12:57 pmLosAngeles says:
Assuming either the Left Wing or the Right Wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles.
May 19th, 2008 at 4:59 pm