My Most Immortal Ad: Nicholas Hulley on Guinness 'Swim Black'

Swim Black.

There are lots of ads that are beautifully crafted. Lots that are beautiful stories. And lots that are beautiful product demos.

But how many can say they are all three?

And that each part is not just great but immortal?

Guinness 'Swim Black' can claim this.

From the casting, the portraiture (the old man shaving his chest), the writing (my brother’s a hero), the cinematography, and whole chunks of backstory jammed into a minute while never losing the clarity of the plot, the craft is perfect.

The story, too, is rich but simple. Two old brothers - one who came fourth in the Olympics - race each other in a mythical Mediterranean town. It’s entertaining as hell with the story building to a wonderful punchline (every year the brother fires the starting gun a little later). 

And of course it is at its heart a product demo. The race is as long as it takes to pour a perfect pint, with the action cutting between the swimmer and the filling pint. It’s a product story that isn’t contrived and works perfectly to the line “good things come to those who wait.” It, for me, is immortal.