DRINKS giant Guinness is launching a major campaign to give away 10,000 free pints to persuade drinkers not to abandon the pub, as the smoking ban is introduced tomorrow. Diageo, which owns Guinness, is also spending ?500,000 on a series of radio ads promoting pubs as good places to socialise.

The promotional campaign is aimed at helping counteract the possible negative impact of the smoking ban on the pub trade. The central message of the new ads is "there's no better place than your local pub".

The campaign, entitled 'Here's to the Pub', will feature 30 different radio ads using accents from around the country. Diageo will send out 10,000 free pint vouchers to Guinness drinkers who have signed up to its website.

Health minister Micheál Martin said yesterday that the government was opposed to free drink promotions and happy hours, and if the proposed Guinness promotion fell within these categories, he would have some concerns.

However, he said he preferred to wait and see the full details.

The ?500,000 pub advertising campaign is being funded entirely by Diageo and has received no financial support from vintners' groups, according to Guinness spokesman Pat Barry. "Obviously there is a concern about the shortterm impact of the smoking ban, but the hope is that in the medium to longer term, things will bounce back. It could even encourage people back into pubs, " he said.

Diageo, which also owns brands such as Carlsberg, Budweiser and Smirnoff in the Irish market, has a vested interest in promoting pub drinking over home-based alcohol consumption.

Diageo products account for 60% of all drink sold in Irish pubs, but the company's share of the off-licence trade is only 40%.

Diageo's most recent results showed that Irish pub sales fell by 8% in the second half of last year, while off-sales were up by 3% in the same period.