Guinness "Surfer"

In 1999, Guinness released a television commercial that would redefine the art of advertising. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, “Surfer” wasn’t just an ad - it was a piece of cinema. The minute-long film, part of Guinness’s “Good things come to those who wait” campaign, showed a group of surfers poised in the ocean, waiting for the perfect wave. When it finally arrives, the breaking surf transforms into thundering white horses, galloping in slow motion. One surfer holds on, conquering the monstrous wave as others fall away. The voiceover declares: “He waits... that’s what he does.”

Shot in Hawaii over nine days, the film’s stark black-and-white palette instantly set it apart. It wasn’t just an aesthetic choice - it was symbolic. The contrast between the dark sea and the white foam mirrored a pint of Guinness: dark body, white head. The imagery was inspired by Walter Crane’s 1893 painting Neptune’s Horses, whose roaring seahorses personified the sea’s power. Glazer fused this Victorian romanticism with modern surf culture to create something mythic, timeless, and visceral.

The surf scenes were painstakingly composed from real wave footage, intercut with digitally composited horses galloping through the spray. This was pre-CGI era ambition - horses were filmed separately and blended into the ocean using advanced compositing techniques. The result was a hypnotic fusion of nature and fantasy that still feels tactile and alive.

The soundtrack, “Phat Planet” by Leftfield, drives the sequence forward with pounding rhythm, while Louis Mellis’s voiceover, delivered like a modern epic poem, adds depth and gravitas. Its cadence was inspired by the language of Melville’s Moby Dick - obsessive, heroic, defiant. The story of a man waiting for the perfect wave becomes a metaphor for patience, obsession, and reward.

That message was at the heart of Guinness’s brand: good things take time. Just as surfers must wait for the right swell, a Guinness drinker must wait for the perfect pour. The tagline “Good things come to those who wait” tied every element together with simple perfection.

Despite its now-legendary status, Surfer almost didn’t make it. Early market testing predicted poor results—too abstract, too slow, too strange. But Guinness and the ad agency AMV BBDO trusted Glazer’s vision and went ahead. The gamble paid off. The commercial swept awards worldwide, from Cannes Lions to D&AD, and was later voted the greatest ad of all time by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times.

More than two decades later, Surfer remains a masterclass in storytelling. It’s not about beer - it’s about belief, patience, and transcendence. The waves crash, the horses charge, the surfer endures. And as the voiceover fades, one truth remains: sometimes, the wait is what makes the victory worth it.