Mind the G: Guinness takes over tube platforms in TfL brand deal
Commuters with sore heads and a creeping sense of dread may fear they’ve seen a mirage when alighting from the Northern Line platforms at Tottenham Court Road for the next week.
Eleven tube route maps in the station have been temporarily resigned to mimic a pint of Guinness in Transport for London’s (TfL) latest advertising wheeze.
An image of the Guinness Toucan can be spotted on top of a sign at Tottenham Court Road, while the harp logo has also replaced the Tube roundel at platforms at the station and Covent Garden. All Elizabeth line and Central line maps remain unchanged.
The week-long campaign was launched on February 9 and will last until next Monday.
But rather than toasting the benefits of booze – drinking on the tube is, of course, prohibited – the advertisements draw attention to Guinness’ new Open Gate Brewery in Covent Garden, which opened in December.
The site offers visitors an opportunity to tour the brewery as well as a tasting experience and on-site restaurants. It is targeting over half a million visitors in its first year.
“The Guinness Open Gate Brewery is one of London’s newest exciting venues and just a short walk away from some of our best known Tube stations so we are pleased to join Guinness as they celebrate the opening of their new venue in Covent Garden,” Emma Strain, TfL’s customer director, said.
“Through creative and thorough planning, activations like these help companies reach people as they travel across London,” she said.
A potted history of TfL brand takeovers
In the last few years TfL has been targeting higher advertising revenue in an attempt to improve its financial position, which had come under pressure due to the post-pandemic decline in traffic.
Previous deals include Bond Street being renamed ‘Burberry Street’ in October 2023 and Old Street becoming ‘Fold Street’ in 2024, when Samsung launched its ‘fold and flip’ smartphones.
And in January TfL rebranded the Bakerloo line as the Bakerl0.0 line to promote Heineken’s zero-alcohol beer during Dry January.
These deals have faced criticism from some quarters for confusing passengers, particularly disabled and neurodiverse people. TfL said an Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out prior to the activity.
“Any activations on our network are fully assessed to ensure that they do not impact our services, staff or customers, and all the revenue raised is invested into London’s transport network to provide further improvements across the capital,” Strain said.