Guinness, and the publicans of Ireland, want you to put your phone down.

Whatever happened to quality catchups, without the interruption of texts, notifications, and incoming calls? 

Guinness want to reignite magic moments spent with friends - without the use of electronics. 

This month, the drinks giant and hundreds of publicans around Ireland are launching a new initiative called 'Switch to Pub Mode'.

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The stout brand recently carried out a survey to illustrate just how digitally distracted revelers are these days.

We’re loving the new campaign launched by @GuinnessIreland tonight encouraging everyone to put their phones down and “settle in for real life stories”. Enjoy who you’re with! #phonesdown #guinness pic.twitter.com/avkhMVBGZU

— IrishCentral (@IrishCentral) September 6, 2018

The study (conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes) explored the quality of a night out with a gang of friends on two consecutive Thursday nights.

Research revealed that 94% of punters enjoyed their night out as much - or more -without their phone in hand. In stark contrast, just 6% of people had more fun on a night more with their phone in hand.

The study followed the same group of friends in the same place, at the same time, even with the same bar staff. On the second Thursday night, they were told to put their phones down for the entire time. Lo and behold, the results showed a dramatic positive shift on the second night when phones were not in use!

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Tellingly, the people said they felt "more included" in their group and "closer" to others in attendance. 

Whatever happened to proper pub chats? Phones happened. We’re loving @GuinnessIreland #phonesdown campaign... bring back the chats! pic.twitter.com/SrKXHQ20np

— Lovin Dublin (@LovinDublin) September 7, 2018

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Annmarie Phillips, On-Trade Channel Director, Diageo said,

“‘We all rely on our phones to organize meeting up with friends and have fun recording our nights out and there is no doubt that our phones are extremely useful devices. The study provides a fascinating insight into our relationships with phones in social settings and the phones’ impact on the social group dynamic. Switching to Pub Mode is about enjoying those conversations with good friends and letting the chat flow for that little bit longer with your phones down and heads up. The research demonstrates that people certainly enjoy the night more when we give our phone a rest!”

The initiative has already been welcomed by over 1,000 publicans across Ireland.   Across the participating pubs, Guinness will implement specially created ‘bean bags’ for phones to rest safely in while their owners enjoy a pint and a chat.

For more details and a list of participating pubs log onto www.guinness.com

@GuinnessIreland The Judge sentences you to a 24 hour Digital Detox. #PhonesDown pic.twitter.com/Qn4kMuhK8F

— Gareth Magennis (@G_Magennis) September 7, 2018

* Originally published in Sept 2018.