The latest DrinkWise ad is a beer commercial, not public health message

I’ll drink to that

The message may be subtle, but I get it.
I think the ad is well done, but I don’t think it will get through to the people who really need it – then again, will anything? I don’t think even the aforementioned sledgehammer would.

Hmm, interesting view of it.

On the surface it could be interpreted as affirming the association of tasty cold beer with watching sport.

However, the message behind it is that drinking hinders your enjoyment it because…well, you get drunk and don’t pay attention.

As you say, whether that’s a strong enough deterrent is debatable.

Actually theres evidence that suggest extreme images such as ‘a cut away to the public toilets, a supporter passed out in a stall, covered in his own vomit.’ are counteractive.
It makes drinking look like an ‘extreme sport’ and therefore offers a ‘challenge’ to drinkers.

The alcohol industry developing a public health campaign that does not hurt their bottom line – unlikely. This campaign is clearly conflicted between ‘trying’ to portray a weak public health message and promoting the product (a glass of nice cold beer). I think the product wins.

This ad makes want a beer. Good for Carlton united, bad for my health..

The ad doesn’t make me want to drink more responsibly it makes me want to sit closer and enjoy my drink.

I agree with Karlie, unlikely that the alcohol industry would do anything that would affect their bottom line. I think the ad is really clever – It makes the industry look like it is ‘doing the right thing’, but to me it just makes me want to drink the beer! And the AFL player in the glass is really cool. I wonder how many people will try and drink until they see the player in the glass?

Arguably the greatest conflict of interest here is a paid employee (let alone the CEO) of an alternate Alcohol-moderation organisation writing an article attacking DrinkWise. The pool of funding available to such organisations must be tightening Mr Thorn (wouldn’t want to effect the $1m revenue your company enjoys on a yearly basis)?

Beyond the political agendas of all of this, I think the spot is actually pretty decent. I’m trying to get into the head-space of a mad footy fan, sitting on the couch with his slab of XXXX Gold when this ad came on. I would stop. I would watch. I would think.

Job well-done.

Was there actually any football in the background, I didn’t notice. The player in the glass is cool, they have a point as it didn’t make me think that I’d missed the game but rather that I’d like a beer!

@Conflicted messaging?

FARE openly states they are about sensible drinking, and this article backs up that goal. Where on earth is the conflicting message?! It is 100% consistent.

On the other hand DrinkWise state they are about sensible drinking, but any reduction in consumption represents a loss to their sponsors.

I can, in all fairness, see how this interpretation has been drawn. But I think (suspect) that in reality it’s more likely to be a case of a clever creative idea having an unintended consequence rather than people sitting down and figuring out a way to punk the system. If this idea were presented to you as a scamp or concept, it’d come across as quite a smart way to marry the thought – the more you drink the less you see. A message I took out when I first saw the ad, for what it’s worth.

the alcohol industry needs to do something – they are playing the long game here to prevent over the top knee jerk reactions that will hurt Australians, and therefore their long term future.
if drinking is demonised they lose in the long run – they have learnt from the mistakes of tobacco.
if drinking for your enjoyment, not obliteration becomes the new norm –

if they wanted to sell more beer, they would just run a beer ad.
they dont need an agenda here, the public doesnt know, or care that drinkwise are industry funded.

That article from CUB is spot on! Exactly as I was saying.

How can an organisation who pay themselves upwards of $1m (of taxpayer money) every year and don’t do any significant work to promote alcohol moderation messages, come out and try to degrade another organisation who has done endless good work to try and change the Australian drinking culture?

At least it would seem DrinkWise are spending money on those ‘expensive special effects’ to try and do good within the community, rather than putting it in their back pocket.

Yeah it’s cool, because we read the blurb and what it’s supposed to be about. To anyone else it says enjoy those amazing footy moments with a beer. To be honest it’s a great insight and idea but executed to hero the beer.

As for conflict of interest from FARE, maybe, but it’s a but unfair calling foul considering the massive resources available to the alcohol industry and the piffling budgets available to those trying to keep us healthy.

Given you both (DrinkWise & FARE) claim to have the same/similar goals, wouldn’t it have been more productive to attempt to work with a well-funded industry body rather than using resources taking petty pot shots at them about the execution about one of their ads?

I fail to see what an piece like this achieves.

Let’s face it! We know extreme images of the impact of drinking are not effective, so well done! But anyone that understands the brain, knows an image of beer cues/triggers a craving for a beer, regardless of what might be said or written to contradict the image. Our brains are hardwired to respond in that manner.
So I’d like to see what can be created to moderate alcohol consumption when we don’t use an image of beer.

‘a cut away to the public toilets, a supporter passed out in a stall, covered in his own vomit.’???

Why? That sounds more like an anti drinking campaign. The stated objective is to encourage drinking in a responsible way. The key word being encourage.

It’s about mindset. It’s not saying ‘don’t drink’… it’s saying don’t be a dickhead when you do.

It’s not supposed to resemble an anti-drugs campaign