HOW TO DRINK PROPERLY - SOCIAL ILLUSTRATIONS

TitleHOW TO DRINK PROPERLY - SOCIAL ILLUSTRATIONS
BrandDRINKWISE AUSTRALIA
Product / ServiceNOT-FOR-PROFIT / PUBLIC HEALTH MESSAGE
CategoryC03. Illustration
EntrantCLEMENGER BBDO MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company CLEMENGER BBDO MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency CLEMENGER BBDO MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
James Mcgrath Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Creative Chairman
Ant Keogh Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Executive Creative Director
Jake Turnbull Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Head of Design - Craft
Jay Chapman Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Designer
Paul Theobald Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Designer
Connie Devine Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Designer
Terry Ricardo Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Designer
Elle Bullen Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Creative
James Orr Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Creative
Emily Naismith Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Social Media Lead
Hugh Gurney Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Social Creative
Matt McGuire Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Social Creative
Jennifer Chin Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Group Account Director
Brendan Taylor Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Account Director
Jarrick Lay Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Account Manager
Matt Pearce Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Strategic Planner
John Scott Drinkwise Australia Chief Executive Officer

Brief Explanation

The brief was to get young Australian’s to drink more responsibly, and introduce a moderation message into culture. An overall goal was set to reduce the intensity and frequency of risky drinking occasions amongst 18 – 24 year olds. To do his, a new perspective on responsible drinking was needed to disrupt this culture of excess. It needed to be something that would live beyond a single campaign. Conversations during the briefing phase centred on finding a new way to communicate that wouldn’t be ignored, and that would make moderation an option in the eyes of youths.

The Brief

Drinkwise Australia is an industry body dedicated to changing the way Australian’s consume alcohol. For young Australian’s, getting blind drunk is a national pastime, and so far every tactic has failed to curb the epidemic. This behaviour stems from a cultural belief that excessive drinking in your early adulthood is a rite of passage. Previous campaigns from government bodies and similar organisations have fallen on deaf ears. The 18-24 year old target tune out to messages that forbid them from drinking, or heavily dramatize the risks associated with it. A social budget of $200,000 AUD was allocated to address this problem.

How the final design was conceived

Telling young Australians to stop drinking simply hasn’t worked. So we did the opposite, and encouraged them to drink. Properly. Our strategy was to put a positive spin on moderation as a ‘classy’ behaviour. And so HOW TO DRINK PROPERLY was born. A socially led campaign designed to reframe the way young Australians think and drink. We created a community dedicated to drinking, the right way. Every touch point (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) formed part of an integrated guide to drinking properly. Through research we discovered that when responsible drinking messages became too real or serious, our target would switch off. This led us to opt for an illustrative approach, and a custom style was developed to communicate these messages in a bold and unconventional way. Educational in nature yet ironic, profane and culturally sharp in delivery, the bespoke visual messages targeted drinkers in real time, when they were most likely to be drinking. Each custom crafted design carried it’s own important message. A brand like Drinkwise would usually be ignored in a social environment with it’s serious messaging, but the stylish and culturally relevant designs drew attention, and before long – a community following.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The engaging and unconventional social campaign helped us to establish an ongoing community. The campaign started 12,000+ conversations on social media, succeeding in creating a dialogue around moderation. Sales and growth were not relevant measures of our campaign, but our objectives were certainly met. Of who saw the campaign, 81% were thinking about the benefits of moderating, and 71% were reflecting on the way they currently drink. The contemporary design style meant that our message didn’t feel like it came from an organisation, so our target not only engaged it with it, but shared it themselves. From tagging friends to self-reflecting on their own behaviour, every time someone shared our content they made the advice relevant to their own lives. By making our message culturally relevant from a design and tonal perspective, the campaign helped etch the act of ‘drinking properly’ into drinking culture. As a result, the HOW TO DRINK PROPERLY community continues to grow and engage, and has become an important part of the most influential anti-drinking campaign in Australia to date.