Government commits £10m to “Know your limits” 2008

The UK government has more than doubled its spend on this year’s “Know your limits” anti-excessive drinking campaign. The new initiative will begin in April and has three key aims. The plan is to tackle firstly binge drinking, secondly underage drinking and thirdly to raise awareness of alcohol units.

The government has committed as much as £10m to advertising “Know your limits”, a significant increase on last year’s £4m spend, and £4m in 2006, the campaign’s launch year.

“We will start the process of changing public tolerance of drunken behaviour,” said Nick Lawrence, programme manager for substance misuse at the Department of Health, “and raise awareness of how drinking can harm human health.”

2008’s approach will also “tie in with the introduction of unit labelling and guidelines to sensible consumption on drinks packaging,” he added.

It is rumoured the advertising will employ shock tactics to encourage young drinkers to consume less, for example, using images of intoxicated girls lying in vomit.

The current TV, radio, cinema and online advertising will run again from 14th January until the end of February, as well as bus advertising from 14th January until the end of January, before the new creative appears in spring.

db, Patrick Schmitt, 02.01.08