Heineken is leveraging a worldwide on-premise marketing campaign to help find the next owner of a pub on an island off the west coast of Ireland.
The current owner of McLoughlin’s on Achill Island, Josie McLoughlin, is looking to step back from running the pub, which has been in his family since 1870. With nobody in the family able to take on the premises, Heineken has added a ‘pub succession’ element to its ‘For the Love of Pubs’ campaign, which is running globally.
Comprising out-of-home ads and billboards in cities including New York, Boston, Sydney and Buenos Aires, the search will be backed by a “succession package” that includes “mentorship, business support and initial investment guidance”.
Contact is invited from any consumer with the surname McLoughlin who is interested in moving to Achill Island.
“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,” said Heineken Ireland marketing manager Mark Noble. “This is more than an investment; it’s … the chance to own a piece of Ireland, to pour a pint for old friends and new, and to keep the spirit of the pub alive for generations to come.”
In results for the 12 months of 2024, announced last month, Heineken’s group sales climbed by 5% on the year prior, while the ‘Europe’ reporting region fell back by 1.5%.
