Diageo launches online responsible drinking campaign

By Emily Kearns, Lucy Britner

Published: 15 July, 2013

Diageo has launched an online campaign to remind young people that excessive drinking can lead to "shame and embarrassment".

The Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Guinness producer has launched a pan-European campaign called Think How You Drink and it hopes to reach more than one million young consumers.

The first strand of the campaign is a video that shows some of the after effects of drinking too much on a night out.

Malcolm D'Sa, marketing innovation director for Diageo Western Europe, said: "With this video we are deliberately using humour to catch people's attention. Responsible drinking campaigns in the past have tended either to preach or to scare. There is a place for that type of message but we began this campaign by looking at where young adults communicate.

"They are talking online and via social media - and we know that humour is a more effective way of delivering a message across those channels. We know that drinking to excess is a serious issue - but our primary concern is to be effective. The message, that drinking can have harmful consequences, is still in there and it is a strong message. We've just approached it in a different way."

Diageo became the first drinks company to launch a responisible drinking TV campaign back in 2007.

D'Sa said: "Most young adults enjoy a drink as part of their lives without it being a problem. We want to reach out to the minority that drink too much, make them think and encourage them to change their habits."

The new campaign, beginning with the online video, will launch in the UK before rolling out to Ireland, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The Think How You Drink campaign includes "Ask Dave" - an alcohol calculator that helps users keep track of their drinking.

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