Create a campaign that does the opposite of every anti-drinking campaign to date

HOW TO DRINK PROPERLY gave young adults approval to drink, while highlighting the benefits of not getting blind drunk.

The overarching strategy centred on finding a way to tell the 90% of 18-24 year olds that drink, to do it responsibly by reminding them they can still drink just not to the point of getting blind drunk. The integrated strategy was to put a positive spin on moderation as ‘classy’ behaviour.

Influence young adults to drink responsibly

The PR angle was to tread this credible yet controversial line to raise eyebrows, spark public debate, and give our message the push it needed through a heavy-weight media relations, content seeding and an influencer program.

The media outreach approach was developed to include a mix of mass media news outlets to create momentum and to get the campaign in the news agenda, while youth media were highly targeted to ensure we reached the key audience. Given the media consumption of our demographic, social media was also a key channel focus.

Designed to incite conversation around the campaign and the wider issue of youth moderation, key components of our PR strategy included establishing and negotiating media partnerships with pedestrian.tv and Triple J along with an informal arrangement with Channel 10’s The Project.

The resulting coverage was extensive with earned media impressions reaching over 23 million.

The campaign also won a prestigious Asia Pacific industry award – a Silver Spike.