Diageo launches responsible drinking campaign

Diageo is encouraging drinkers to "Know When to Stop" in a new global responsible drinking campaign for the festive period.

Through a series of digital animations, the campaign depicts the risks of overindulging in common holiday pleasures, such as eating sweet treats, binge-watching television and films, and over-decorating your home.

Launching across Diageo's social media channels, "Know When to Stop" is part of the company's commitment to reach one billion people with dedicated responsible drinking messaging by 2030 and to educate people on the risks of the harmful use of alcohol as part of its 10-year action plan, Society 2030: Spirit of Progress. 

Kate Gibson, global director of Diageo in Society, said: "We know the holidays are an important time of year for people to be getting together and celebrating. This campaign is a fun, festive reminder that there's a happy limit to everything and the holidays are best enjoyed in moderation, be that drinking, eating or binge-watching."

The digital animations were created by illustrator Cari Vander Yacht, who said: "I wanted to visually capture the sort of manic nature of 'too much of a good thing', which was central to the overall idea of moderation."

As part of the campaign, Diageo commissioned a survey of UK adults to gauge people's feelings and attitudes toward holiday indulgences and experiences. Nearly a fifth (17 per cent) reported that they didn't get to celebrate the winter holidays in the way they wanted to in 2020 and plan on making up for it this year.

Among those who planned to do at least one thing in excess, 48% said they would eat more sweets and baked goods this year, 38% said they planned to binge-watch festive television and films, and 35% admitted eating and drinking more during the holidays than any other time of the year.

The "Know When to Stop" campaign has been designed to signpost adults to DRINKiQ, a global resource to help people make responsible choices about the consumption of alcohol. Available in 16 languages, DRINKiQ provides training and information on alcohol and its impacts, as well as advice on moderating consumption.

22 November 2021 - Bethany Whymark