Our Favourite Responsible Drinking Campaigns
This Mental Health Awareness Week we’ll be taking a look at some of our favourite responsible drinking campaigns that promote alcohol. The question is, what IS responsible drinking? In this case it’s anything from encouraging you to try more low and no alcoholic drinks to simply taking more pride in your drinking choices. Let’s get started!
Brewdog’s Alcohol Free Bar
As with every Dry January, we saw brands throwing around their no and low alcohol campaigns. And whilst this is a huge improvement on previous years, a fair number of people’s problems with said month come from the impacts to their social lives. Where will we get together? What will we do once we’re there? Enter Brewdog with their Punk AF (‘alcohol free’, or also ‘as fuck’) bar.
They’ve gone beyond a responsible drinking ad campaign by creating a permanent bar. It’s a small, cosy affair that serves the best of no and low drinks ranging from sours to stouts and everything in between. Want to know more about Brewdog’s AF Bar? Check out our review!
Budweiser’s “WHASSUP” Revamp, a re-versioned responsible drinking campaign
I’ll confess that a large part of the reason I occasionally buy a few bottles of Budweiser every once in a while is because of its marketing. Year on year they produce some of the most iconic ads that we’ve seen which range from heartfelt to absurd.
This year was no different with them revisiting their classic “WHASSUP” ad from the 90’s and updating it for the age of COVID-19 but also a responsible drinking campaign, encouraging people to virtually check in on their friends when isolating. The simplicity of this responsible drinking ad is really what makes it. Low cost, funny, effective with a good helping of nostalgia. YesMore co-founder Tom Harvey spoke to Drinks Retailing News about it here!
Guinness Clear’s Campaigns
This is how I imagine the meeting went for this responsible drinking campaign.
Sarah: Okay, I’ve got an idea but it’ll sound weird.
George: This should be good…
Sarah: Why don’t we make an ad campaign for a fake product?
George: This is worse than the idea with the bees.
Sarah: Wait, hear me out. We rebrand water as “Guinness Clear” and talk about the health benefits, throw in loads of sexy, slow motion shots of a glass being filled with water, a fake brewer talking about the best way to drink it and get loads of celebrity endorsements. Maybe we could even sponsor the Six Nations!? We won’t even have to waste a pint while filming it all!
Honestly it’s so simple and so well done it makes me angry. But also happy?
Ketel One’s Responsible Drinking Ads – Drink Marvellously
Ketel One’s Drink Marvelously campaign highlights the importance of the quality of your drinks and opening up to the people around you whilst enjoying them. Support of still frames and animated videos give this campaign a wholesome feel. The kind that reminds you to call that person you’ve not seen in a while and maybe order a Ketel One whilst you do it, just to round out the experience. As far as responsible drinking campaigns going, this isn’t bad.
Heineken’s “Say Yes” Responsible Drinking Campaign
We may all dig on “Big Beer” from time to time. Sometimes they deserve it and sometimes they don’t. But Heineken’s “Say Yes” campaign truly brought a responsible drinking campaign to the masses in a refreshing and non-patronising way. Say yes to enjoying the company of your friends and say no to the Thursday hangover!
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