Carla Sacchi
Gianluca Di Tondo
There were 1,821 road accidents involving alcohol in Italy in 2002,
injuring almost 3,000 people and killing 64*. But, according to
research by Heineken Italy, bombarding consumers with commer
cials that show road accidents and their tragic consequences are
not hitting home: young people simply ignore the message, thinking
it will not happen to them.
'PENSACI' - IN ITALY THE MESSAGE IS 'THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK'
Instead, Heineken Italy has developed a new
approach, which encourages people to think
about the effects of irresponsible alcohol
consumption, as a way of promoting more
thoughtful behaviour, especially in relation
to driving and consideration for others.
Research into this different approach
resulted in a commercial showing three
young men sitting outside a cafe. As they
chat and joke, one of them knocks over a
bottle of Heineken, spilling the beer on the
ground. A dog, which was lying at one of
the young men's feet, licks up the beer and
returns to his place. When the dog's owner
gets up and clips on the lead, the viewer
realises that he is blind. He walks off, guided
by the dog, but their progress is not as steady
as usual. Then the tag line appears: 'If you
drink and drive, you're a danger to others.
Think about it.' Government, concerned
institutions and consumer organisations alike
were all briefed in advance of the commer
cial's release, to support understanding and
acceptance of Heineken Italy's revolutionary
initiative to encourage responsible alcohol
consumption.
'The risk in Italy is that we'll be seen as
hypocritical,' says Carla Sacchi, Public Relat
ions Public Affairs Manager at Heineken
Italy. 'But it's not true. As a producer, we have
a duty to send a strong and responsible
message to the consumer. The consumer in
turn has the responsibility of making his or
her own choice.'
The 'Pensaci' message was well received.
Research demonstrated that Heineken Italy's
target audience-young men aged 18 to 35-
were much more receptive to this kind of
message than to portrayals of the tragic
consequences of irresponsible consumption.
Government and other organisations also
lauded the initiative, to the point where
Massimo von Wunster, Heineken Italy's
Managing Director, was asked to present the
commercial at an alcohol prevention event
organised by the Institute for Health. This was
a first in Italy, showing that the government
recognises it can achieve much more with the
help of producers than without it.
'They said it very clearly: the industry can
produce much more advertising promoting
alcohol than the government can do to
prevent the abuse of it,' says Carla Sacchi.
'So if industry collaborates in promoting a
positive way of life, it can influence the
consumer much more than the government.'
The commercial was released on 7 March.
Heineken Italy is planning a campaign in the
print media based on the 'Pensaci' message
in J U ne. Source: Italian National Statistical Institute
Active promotion of responsible alcohol consumption
performance of Heineken world-wide,
O
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