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Diageo pokes fun at drunks in marketing video
Diageo has chosen to poke fun at drunk people falling over and face-planting to deliver its responsible drinking message.
Diageo delivers its responsible drinking message by showing footage of a man falling downstairs
The UK drinks company has created a YouTube video that ridicules people who have lost control of their ability to walk after drinking excessively, and hopes it will reach over one million young people across Europe.
Having conducted research into how best to deliver an effective responsible drinking message to young people, Diageo has opted to use social media and humour: two mediums that appeal to its target audience.
“With this video we are deliberately using humour to catch people’s attention,” said Malcolm D’Sa, marketing innovation director for Diageo Western Europe. “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.”
The YouTube video is the first part of a new campaign by Diageo named ‘Think How You Drink’ to remind young people that excessive drinking can lead to shame and embarrassment.
Already launched in the UK – and racking up over 15,000 views on YouTube – the campaign will roll out to Ireland, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands in the coming weeks.
The campaign will feature in Diageo’s other responsible drinking initiatives over the next 18 months, including during Fresher’s Week and ‘Ask Dave’, the alcohol consumption calculator.
Watch the video below. Does humour deliver Diageo’s message effectively?