Campaign to run through festive season into January 2015
‘Tis the season to be. merry. Okay, okay, we know it should’ve read ‘jolly’, but what with the influx of Christmas parties at work or at home, the season is one where we will be more prone to indulging in the odd tipple or three in order to join in with the festivities that await. And, in the spirit (excuse the pun) of fun, but with a serious edge to it, the Automobile Association and Pernod Ricard UK have launched a Christmas anti-drink driving campaign which will run through the current spate of parties into January 2015.
The campaign is digitally focused, and will be seen in publications including Time Out, Metro and across the Transport for London infrastraucture. Featuring Pernod Ricard’s best selling Jameson Irish Whiskey, the posters are sure to catch the attention of even the most inattentive of us, with catchy taglines such as ‘Driving? Enjoy a Jameson some other time’, and ‘The key to a great night. No car key’. We here at CaravanTimes couldn’t agree more, and advise all our readers to have a good think before saying yes to a drink.
Some might find it surprising that the campaign is aimed exclusively at 18-34 year-old men, but the AA’s recent survey makes things more than clear. When it came to appointing a designated driver, female respondents beat men to the task, with 58 per cent of the fairer sex saying they’d agree on drinking alcohol before driving compared to 52 per cent of the men surveyed. The survey also threw up other interesting results, with Londoners being the least likely to appoint designated drivers and the most likely to use public transport – although this isn’t exactly surprising considering the useful transport links available within the capital.
The AA survey also revealed the nation’s most popular hangover remedies the morning after having one – or ten – too many, which ranged from drinking copious amounts of water and having a fry up to scrambling for Irn Bru, fruit juice and a packet of Aspirin. The AA, however, has advised drivers to dispel urban myths about hangover cures, stating that the only sure-fire cure is to allow enough time for the alcohol to leave your system and your body to revert back to normal.
AA president, Edmund King, commented on the campaign, stating: “It is encouraging to see that many people are choosing to select a designated driver before a night out but it’s really important that they also consider arrangements for the morning after too.” He added: “Alcohol levels in the body can still mean that drivers are over the limit the following morning and we want to ensure that people are fully aware of this when they are making the decision whether or not to get behind the wheel.”
Denis O’Flynn, managing director of Pernod Ricard UK, also shared his thoughts, commenting: “This year we are using the Jameson brand to grab the attention of young adults who may be tempted to drink-drive. It’s clear that a lot of people are making the right choices but often they don’t realise the dangers of driving in the morning after a night of festivities.”
So there you have it folks, stay safe this festive season, and watch out for the AA’s Christmas anti-drinking campaign as a friendly reminder!