Budweiser and Uber partner up for a UK responsible drinking Christmas campaign that aims to get partygoers home safely with free rides throughout December and to encourage people to pre-plan their trips home over the festive season.
The alliance sees the beer brand and the tech transport giant also team up with the Department of Transport to support the 20167/17 version of the public body’s long-running THINK! Christmas drink driving campaign (http://think.direct.gov.uk/).
Backed by Budweiser, Uber is offering free rides to new users who download the app throughout December: plus an additional element to the campaign is being teased and will be revealed in the final countdown to Christmas aimed at reducing drink driving on Christmas Eve itself.
To take up the Xmas dual-brand offer, new users need only download the Uber app and enter BUD2016 in to the ‘promotions’ function.
The Government’s THINK! Programme provides road safety information and aims to encourage safer behaviour to reduce the number of people killed and injured on our roads every year. It’s Christmas 2016 campaign specifically targets young men’s common behaviour of having ‘a couple’ of drinks before driving – with a new idea it calls #FOMOpints.
This Bud/Uber/DoT partnership is actually part of a wider Budweiser 360-activation that draws a hard line on drink driving that also includes the British television debut of the beer brand and NFL sponsor’s 2016 Super Bowl spot starring English actress Helen Mirren.
The 60-second spot, created as a US Big Game commercial aired during this year’s Super Bowl (for which brands spent $4m per 30-second slot), sees the Oscar winner actress deliver a powerful, straight-talking responsible drinking message direct to camera.
The ad is airing on Sky TV in throughout UK cinemas throughout December and is being run socially on Snapchat and Facebook from 5 December.
A further campaign support strand sees 3,500 posters put up on outdoor locations across the UK.
‘This Christmas Budweiser is communicating in a bold, new way to put a stop to that. Our Helen Mirren advert addresses the issue of drink driving in a straight-talking, unconventional tone: a wake-up call to start as many conversations as possible and get people to plan their journey home during the biggest party season of the year,’ explains Budweiser UK marketing manager Steph Okell.
‘As an iconic global beer brand, Budweiser is using its gravitas in the fight against drink driving and we’re proud to partner with Uber to offer people a free ride and ensure they get home safely this Christmas.’
Jo Bertram, regional general manager of Uber UK adds: ‘With new options like Uber people can now get a safe, reliable and affordable ride home at the tap of a button. Through this campaign with Budweiser we’re looking forward to helping more people get home safely this Christmas.’
Comment
Brand partnership with Uber have been something of a trend this year.
For example another NFL campaign in the USA saw e-tailer Fanatics team up with Uber to deliver LA Rams merchandise in real-time to leverage in-game excitement (see case study), while for the Super Bowl itself Uber (an official partner of the 2016 Super Bowl organising committee) linked with retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods for a #RushMyShirt low latency ‘Champions Shirt’ direct-to-door home delivery initiative to ensure fans could get Super Bowl ‘Champion’ merchandise at home before their Big Game Party’s were even over (see case study).
But it is fairly unusual for an NFL brand to re-purpose a US Super Bowl spot for another market and another campaign.
The move is part of a wider push to across the category to increase investment in responsible drinking initiatives and we have seen major new initiatives in 2016 not only from AB InBev but also from fellow beer brands like Heineken.
The beer industry has markedly increased its investment in promoting moderate drinking (and in lower alcohol beer) as it bids to live up to its pledge to improve responsible drinking (and perhaps avoid restrictive legislation).
While Budweiser invested in its responsible drinking Super Bowl campaign, Heineken also ran a major initiative at the beginning of 2016 called ‘Moderate Drinkers Wanted’.
Link
Budweiser Web:
Budweiser Twitter:
https://twitter.com/budweiseruk?lang=en
Uber Web:
https://www.uber.com/a/join-new/gb/
Uber Twitter:
Uber Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/uberuki/?ref=page_internal
Dept Transport Think!:
