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Diageo GB MD on ‘challenging reality’ of harmful drinking
Nuno Teles, managing director of Diageo Great Britain, has urged the drinks industry to embrace challenges around alcohol moderation.
Towards the end of last year, Diageo, owner of brands such as Johnnie Walker and Don Julio, partnered with former boxer Tony Bellew on a campaign titled ‘Men on a Mission’.
The campaign was fronted by Bellew and launched in conjunction with Diageo’s DrinkIQ programme and UK Men’s Shed Association (UKMSA), an organisation that raises awareness and supports men’s mental health. The aim of the partnership was to tackle wellbeing within older male age groups where excessive levels of alcohol consumption tend to occur.
Data from UKMSA found that men aged above 55 are most likely to drink alcohol to ‘increasing risk’ levels and also reported drinking three to four days a week.
Since its launch, the Men on a Mission campaign has resonated with older men who experience these challenges with their consumption, Diageo said, and the company said it was a ‘step forward’ on serious alcohol moderation campaigning.
Of the importance of social connection when moderating and making known the implications of harmful use of alcohol, Teles has written an op-ed to the industry.
Titled ‘Why meeting people where they are is critical to alcohol moderation campaigns’, the missive can be read in full below.
Nuno Teles – managing director, Diageo Great Britain
“When your purpose is celebrating life, every day, everywhere, it can be natural to gravitate towards the moments when we raise a glass. But to truly embrace that purpose, we have the responsibility to champion how we celebrate life. Responsibly, in moderation, and sustainably.
“At Diageo, we recognise that harmful drinking is the most material issue that our industry faces. It is our responsibility to address it, to change the way people drink – for the better.
“The launch of our recent DrinkIQ Men on a Mission campaign was a wonderful expression of how we are addressing this issue. Working with our incredible partners at the UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA), the campaign communicates a candid but inspiring message with the help of incredible Shedders and campaign ambassador Tony Bellew – to make being well a mission.
“But to earn the right to speak such a message, we had to grapple with real life. This included the acknowledgment that there is a particular pattern among older men, who are more likely to drink more alcohol, and more frequently, than other groups. And we had to consider how very real life-stage factors play a role in that – from retirement to bereavement to social isolation, and more.
“This challenging reality is real life for many people. This is serious, but it’s also hopeful. And we hope that by being real and reflecting real life, it resonates to make a difference for the better.
“Diageo’s partnership with UKMSA is a critical part of our commitment to doing business the right way, not only through supporting men’s wellbeing but in promoting moderation too, together and through our DrinkIQ platform, with tangible in-shed wellbeing programmes designed specifically for this audience.
“I recently had the privilege of visiting the wonderful Camden Town Shed, and witnessed first-hand how these spaces nurture a sense of purpose and community. There are over 1,100 across the UK, playing host to some 30,000 Shedders, a few of whom have been kind and brave enough to share their voices and stories as part of our campaign, in the hope of reaching men like them.
“Over the coming years, I would like to see our industry embrace challenging topics more often, and to lead by being bold in this space. Our industry must meet people where they are to effectively communicate these incredibly important messages around moderation, not just speak into a void. We must acknowledge that harmful drinking is highly material, and we need to be active and earnest to address it in ways that strike a chord.
“If our partnership with UMKSA can help Sheds and Shedders thrive, then it has been a success. And, if our Men on a Mission campaign can help men consider their alcohol consumption, and perhaps even think about popping down to their local Shed for the first time, I’ll be proud of what we have done, and look forward to what is to come.”
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