Bet on Black

Bet on Black

Agency	Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London
Client	Diageo
Running time	90 seconds
Product	Guinness draught stout
Release date(s)	2000[1]
Directed by	Frank Budgen
Music by	"Barbarabateri" by Beny More with Pérez Prado and His Orchestra
Country	United Kingdom
Preceded by	Surfer
Followed by	Dreamer

Bet on Black, occasionally referred to as "Snail Race", is an advertising campaign run in 2000 by Diageo to promote Guinness-brand stout in the United Kingdom. The piece, directed by Frank Budgen, follows a snail race taking place in a town of Latin American appearance. It is the third piece of the Good things come to those who wait campaign launched by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO in 1996, following on from Swimblack (1998) and Surfer (1999). The music in the advertisement is "Barbarabateri" by Beny More with Pérez Prado and his orchestra.^[2] Prado's music has also been in used in previous Guinness advertisements such as the successful Anticipation and Swimblack.

Whilst the previous advertisement in the campaign, Surfer, was a success, Bet on Black saw a return to the style of the campaign's inaugural advertisement, Swimblack, featuring a championed sports race and music by Pérez Prado. Conversely, the following advertisement in the campaign, Dreamer, was a return to Surfer's black and white filmography. The four advertisements formed the first part of the campaign which was put on hold for several years afterwards.

Coinciding with the launch of the advertisement was the "Guinness Gastropod Championship", a snail race held in an Irish pub in London in December 1999,^[3] this race being recognized as the first competitive live snail race to be held in London.

The advertisement was awarded with the Silver Lion at the annual Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival,^[1] and won silver at the British Television Advertising Awards.^[4] In November 2009, The Independent named the advertisement, alongside several other advertisements in the campaign, amongst the "greatest advertising of all time".^[5]

The 2001 compilation album Off Your Box, which features music from various worldwide advertisements, features a screenshot from the end of the advertisement on its album cover, whilst "Barbarabateri" features on the album.

The advertisement was parodied several years later by Guinness as part of their Summer campaign for their Extra Cold variant.