South African Breweries Limited (SAB) has launched its biggest ever responsibility drive, urging people to 'draw the line' on over-consumption not only during the holiday season but throughout the year. The campaign makes use of familiar words - like cool and uncool, famous and infamous, wise and unwise, use and abuse - to draw the line between responsible and irresponsible consumption.
Communications Manager Michael Farr said audience tests prior to launch had been overwhelmingly positive and the company was expecting the message to be very effective. "In this campaign ... we have significantly upweighted the messaging, aiming it in particular at binge drinking, driving under the influence and underage consumption," he noted.
"We are challenging the assumption that over-consumption of alcohol isn't necessarily risky or dangerous - we need to make South Africans realise that every time they push the limit they could go over the edge. We believe this campaign will go a long way to achieving just that."
The campaign will target particular audiences: people of legal drinking age who binge drink; drivers who drive under the influence; those under legal drinking age. There are four central messages: general responsible consumption; don't drink and drive (funded jointly by SAB and Arrive Alive); don't drink during pregnancy; and don't drink under the age of 18.
'Draw the line' uses over R23 million in media exposure to reach both urban and rural consumers in all 11 official languages, including traditional television, print, radio and outdoor media, and will also extend to point-of-sale on fridges and at till points at over 40 000 liquor retail outlets, with caps, t-shirts, breathalyzers and wrist bands for distribution at live events.
"SAB has always promoted responsible alcohol consumption, but this campaign is the largest ever; we believe that responsible consumption is a message that requires continuous reinforcement and this campaign takes the message to consumers in a very bold way. It's easy to understand and works well in all languages," Farr commented.
"We want people to enjoy our products responsibly and think about their actions; we want to alert them to the dangers of over-consumption, and we want to give those with the power to influence an argument against over-consumption - at the very least, a platform from which they can launch a discussion on the topic."
The campaign was conceptualised and created by Ogilvy Johannesburg.
