Drinkaware has 65% awareness

After just 15 months Drinkaware has been recognised as the charity with the highest level of campaign awareness, according to the results of an independent survey. Research has indicated that 65% of UK consumers know about the industry-funded responsible drinking initiative, with over four million hits on the charity’s website last month.

The impact of the campaign is a glimmer of good news as the industry faces up to the issue of problem drinking. The unparalleled level of campaign exposure has benefited significantly from the fact that most producers have taken the proactive step of including Drinkaware information on packaging, POS materials as well as advertising.

Commenting on the survey, Drinkaware CEO Jean Collingwood said: “This is really exciting news for Drinkaware and the not for profit sector as whole. It shows that health professionals and industry, working together, really can succeed in driving positive change in raising awareness amongst today’s consumers. We exist to help consumers make better informed decisions about their relationship with alcohol, and this result means we are reaching them and encouraging more and more to seek our help.”

The online element of the strategy has worked particularly well. As well as four million hits for the www.drinkaware.co.uk site, the charity’s youth-oriented site www.truthaboutbooze.com has received an additional 300,000 hits. The web presence has been so well executed that Collingwood reports that agencies from around the world are using it as a template as they develop their own responsible consumption marketing materials.

Ben Grant, 12/03/08