road safety. Never have ‘one for the road’

As head of Diageo Europe’s ‘Alcohol in Society’ programme, which oversees campaigns to encourage moderation in drinking, Kate Blakely is frequently asked existential questions about her job responsibility.

“We’re often asked: ‘Why would an alcohol company promote responsible drinking? Surely it’s not in your commercial interest’,” Blakeley said during a recent media interaction in London. “But it actually is.”

The way she sees it, Diageo holds itself responsible for the “beautiful brands” it owns, some of which have been crafted over centuries.

To be more impactful

“And we certainly don’t want to be the generation that takes the edge off those brands or see them become unsustainable in the future due to our inaction.”

Unlike, say, shampoo or pet food, which operate in less-regulated spaces, the products that Diageo creates “have to be treated with more care,” points out Blakely. Diageo’s ‘Alcohol in Society’ strategy has been in place for long, but last year, the company revamped it, scaling up its ambitions to become more impactful – and to take the industry lead in this area.

The campaign for responsible drinking, in fact, ties in with Diageo’s ‘purpose’ statement: ‘Celebrating Life Every Day, Everywhere.’ “We want consumers to enjoy the brands they choose to drink, but to do so in moderation – because it is in no one’s interest to drink to excess,” notes Blakely.

In fact, Diageo says it is working towards the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) goal of a 10 per cent reduction, across geographies, in “harmful use of alcohol”. That, says Blakeley, is “the beacon we’re working towards over the next seven years.”

Flagship campaigns

On the ground, this manifests itself in several flagship campaigns. For instance, there are still countries where there isn’t a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for drink-driving; in such places, Diageo works with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), with central and State governments, industry and NGOs to bring a BAC limit and to ensure that it is enforced.

In India, for instance, Diageo promotes ‘responsible drinking’ and ‘road safety’ campaigns with cricketers Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle and actor Karisma Kapoor as brand ambassadors. It also advances the #JoinThePact campaign, which aims to enlist 50 million signed pledges – Never to drink and drive – by 2025. It additionally donates breathalysers to police departments and works with structural engineers on road safety audits. And although Diageo’s global campaigns to curb underage drinking cannot work the same way in India – given local restrictions on talking to children about alcohol! - it runs a ‘Cool Teens’ programme alongside social infrastructure company IL&FS Education by going to classrooms and talking of ‘Life Skills Awareness’.

More generally, Diageo hope to spread wider awareness among consumers -through its DRINKiQ programme - about what goes into their drink. (You too can take the quiz on drinkiq.com)

Safer nights out

In other countries, Diageo is working to tackle binge-drinking and on programmes to improve the safe night-time economy in cities’ entertainment districts by building a coalition of bar owners, musicians, police and local transport agencies.

Some world cities, including Amsterdam and New York, have designated Night-Time Mayors or Night-Time Czars. “It’s very early work, but that’ll be our focus going forward,” says Blakeley. One consolation for her: these mayors and czars readily understand why an alcohol company would want to work on responsible drinking campaigns!

The writer was in Scotland recently at Diageo’s invitation

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