Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis-based subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, unveiled its newest responsible drinking campaign that relies on the Internet and social media to engage adult drinkers and raise awareness.
Coming 30 years after the launch of its “Know When to Say When” campaign, Anheuser-Busch’s new site, www.nationofresponsibledrinkers.com, asks adults to pledge their commitment to drink responsibly and then share it on Facebook in order to encourage friends to do the same. The pledge includes the following three parts: respect the legal drinking age; enjoy responsibly and know when to stop; and be or use a designated driver. Each pledge is populated on an interactive map, which shows those who have taken the pledge in their communities.
“With close to half a billion adults on Facebook, we see an enormous opportunity to expand our reach to newer generations of adult drinkers, most of whom came of age after ‘Know When to Say When’ and our earlier responsible drinking campaigns,” said Kathy Casso, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Anheuser-Busch, in a statement. “We’re looking to the future of alcohol responsibility, and we see the potential in social media — with its ability to bring adults together and peer-to-peer persuasion — to help friends and family make smarter choices.”
The “Know When to Say When” campaign was expanded in 1985, making Anheuser-Busch the first brewer to bring a responsible drinking message to network TV, the company says. Since that time, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers have invested more than $930 million in advertising and community-based programs that promote responsible drinking and prevent underage drinking and drunk driving.
“We’ve made significant progress in the past three decades, but there’s more we can do,” Casso said. “That’s why we encourage adults to pledge and join the ‘Nation of Responsible Drinkers.’ We’re committed to promoting responsible consumption today and into the future. It’s always been important to our company and always will be.”
