Anti-drink ad 'not effective'
James Randerson, science correspondent
The Guardian,
Monday December 10 2007
A drinks industry-funded campaign to encourage responsible drinking in the run up to Christmas is ill-conceived, according to researchers who have studied young people's attitudes to alcohol.
"The Choice Is Yours" campaign features two adverts each depicting a very different night out. One ends in drunken behaviour, embarrassment and a hangover, while the other shows the positive and sociable side of responsible drinking.
But the researchers say that the drunken antics depicted in the "bad" night out are seen by most young people as part of a bonding experience with friends.
"I don't think it will be really effective," said Professor Christine Griffin of Bath University, who led the study.
She said that even nights culminating in a trip to casualty are often seen as a badge of honour by young drinkers. She said that focusing on the longer-term consequences of drinking would be more effective.
The researchers gathered information on attitudes to drinking by conducting 10 structured focus groups with men and women aged 18 to 25, plus four interviews. The research will be published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
The £3m "The Choice Is Yours" campaign is funded by Diageo. The company's latest ad campaign for Guinness, which was filmed in the Andes, cost £10m. The company said: "We're proud of our adverts. They are strategically sound, evidence based and not designed to simply grab headlines."
"The Choice Is Yours" campaign features two adverts each depicting a very different night out. One ends in drunken behaviour, embarrassment and a hangover, while the other shows the positive and sociable side of responsible drinking.
But the researchers say that the drunken antics depicted in the "bad" night out are seen by most young people as part of a bonding experience with friends.
"I don't think it will be really effective," said Professor Christine Griffin of Bath University, who led the study.
She said that even nights culminating in a trip to casualty are often seen as a badge of honour by young drinkers. She said that focusing on the longer-term consequences of drinking would be more effective.
The researchers gathered information on attitudes to drinking by conducting 10 structured focus groups with men and women aged 18 to 25, plus four interviews. The research will be published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
The £3m "The Choice Is Yours" campaign is funded by Diageo. The company's latest ad campaign for Guinness, which was filmed in the Andes, cost £10m. The company said: "We're proud of our adverts. They are strategically sound, evidence based and not designed to simply grab headlines."
This article says that the advert about dangerous drinking is not effective because what the show as a 'bad' night out is the way youngsters socialise nowadays and what they see as 'fun'. Instead they should include the consequences of dangerous drinking.
I partially agree that the advert should include the consequences of dangerous drinking instead of the hangovers etc because everyone knows that happens and it is just part of the experience/fun of the night out. People will not stop drinking from embarassment, drunken behaviour and a hangover because they know thats what happens when you get drunk.
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