Marketing Savvy

I just got a text message from Guinness, inviting me to join — him? it? — for a pint at the Irish Village after work (a block away from my office). 

A flurry of questions and thoughts sprang to mind:

1. What, are they reading my mind now?

2. That's pretty ingenious. 

3. And yet another example of life in our Crazy New World. 

4. In the span of 20 minutes I received happy hour invites from a good friend... and a beer. Granted, my favorite beer, but really just a marketing or brand rep from a giant corporation. I'm not even sure what to make of that, but it's a strange juxtaposition, right?

5. Finally, isn't this a slippery slope? I mean I love Guinness, and I'm typically a big proponent of a trip to the pub, but do people really need that extra nudge to go boozing? What if Johnnie Walker sent someone a text at 3pm on a Tuesday saying, "Hey fella, been a tough day, hasn't it? A smooth glass of blended whiskey would really take the edge off right now. Why don't you come whet your whistle at the (insert name of bar down the street)."

Anyway, I guess it falls under the banner of "event marketing" and not "corporate-sponsored alcohol abuse" since they're promoting the ceremonial first pour of a 250th Anniversary Stout. (Yum.)