Jameson spearheads AA Pernod Ricard anti drink-drive campaign

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 21 December, 2015

Pernod Ricard UK has again partnered with the AA on its Christmas anti drink-driving campaign.

The global drinks giant's Jameson Irish Whiskey brand is at the forefront of the campaign, which is particularly aimed at 18- to 34-year-old men, who constitute some 74% of all drink-driving casualties.

As part of the campaign, the AA has released the results a survey about British drivers' attitudes to drink driving, conducted by the Populus market research organisation.

Some 17% of us - 19% male and 11% female - would still drive after a couple of glasses of wine or two pints of beer if they received an urgent call to pick up a loved one.

The groups most likely to do so were over-65s and those living in London, at 22% and 20% respectively.

While 49% of us would call the police if we saw a stranger getting behind the wheel when clearly over limit, only 3% would do so if the driver was a friend and 2% if the driver was a relative.

However, 78% would take the car keys from a friend or family member and arrange alternative transport.

Some 36% of those aged 18 to 24 expect to drive more often to social events over Christmas, due to either disrupted rail services or overcrowding on public transport.

Alcohol is also used at Christmas as an excuse to avoid driving relatives around, with 9% of men deliberately having a drink for precisely that reason and 13% simply pretending to have drunk to achieve the same result.

Denis O'Flynn, managing director of Pernod Ricard UK, said: "It's clear that a lot of people are making the right choices but a small minority will make the wrong choice after enjoying a drink this Christmas, mistakenly deciding to get behind the wheel.

"This year our campaign will be spearheaded by the Jameson brand with the intention of grabbing the attention of young adult males who may be tempted to drink-drive.

"We know digital media connects best with this audience so we've used hyper-targeted technology and road safety data to deliver the campaign to the audience in key accident hotspots."

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