Diageo urges drinkers to ‘Know When to Stop’ at Christmas

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 19 November, 2021

Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker maker Diageo has launched a new global responsible drinking campaign aimed at urging people to know when to say enough’s enough this Christmas.

The campaign, Know When to Stop, includes a series of digital animations aimed at showing what happens when people overindulge during the festivities. Illustrator Cari Vander Yacht takes aim at common holiday pleasures like eating sweet treats, binge watching TV and films by visually capturing the "manic nature of ‘too much of a good thing’ which was central to the overall idea of moderation”.

Launched across Diageo’s social channels, Know When to Stop is part of the company’s commitment to reaching one billion people with dedicated responsible drinking messaging by 2030. It has also committed to educating consumers on the risks of the harmful use of alcohol as part of a 10-year action plan.

“We know the holidays are an important time of year for people to be getting together and celebrating,” Kate Gibson, global director of Diageo in Society said.

“This campaign is a fun, festive reminder that there’s a happy limit to everything and the holidays are best enjoyed in moderation, be that drinking, eating, or binge-watching.”

Diageo also commissioned a survey of adults in the UK to gauge attitudes toward holiday indulgences and experiences. Nearly a fifth (17%) report they didn’t get to celebrate the winter holidays the way they wanted to in 2020 and plan on making up for it this year. More than one-third (35%) confessed to generally eating and drinking more during the holidays than any other time of the year.

Close to half (45%) will spend more time with loved ones this winter holiday than they have in the past, and more than half (52%) admit they have a guilty pleasure they’d be embarrassed about, such as their food and drink indulgences or holiday spending habits.

Signposting will also lead adults to DRINKiQ, a global resource to help people make responsible choices about drinking, or not drinking.

“DRINKiQ is a great place for people to go to find out more about alcohol, the impact it can have on their bodies, and the importance of drinking in moderation,” Gibson said.

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