The drinking culture in South Africa has created a bad attitude towards drinking and driving, with the mindset of many being that “it won’t happen to me”. This prevailing outlook on drinking and driving is particularly common amoungst individuals aged between 18-25 years. It is for this reason that Drive Dry’s new national campaign, ‘Go places with Drive Dry’, will be targeting local hotspots of this age group around the country.
The campaign is targeting the issue from a social perspective, as individuals within this age group of 18-25, tend to be very concerned with how others perceive them, and as such, if drinking and driving is frowned upon by their friends, they may think twice about getting behind the wheel after a couple of beers next time.
The new Drive Dry campaign will take place from the end of July to the end of August, with each venue hosting a Drive Dry declaration station. The intention of having a declaration station is to encourage individuals to publicly declare whether they will be drinking or driving that night – never both. Once the individuals have made there declaration they will be rewarded with personalised business cards that they can keep in their wallets, which will serve as a reminder of their decision to not drink and drive, thus reinforcing the message that Drive Dry wish to convey.
The aim of using a declaration form is not to put drinking in a negative light but rather to positively encourage individuals to be honest and declare their decision to either drink or drive. By publicly declaring their individual intentions, the campaign seeks to reinforce individuals responsible choices and make their decisions known to their peers who will most likely support them so as to not go against the norm. The reason for this is that once individuals see that everyone else – including their friends – are making responsible choices, they will feel more inclined to as well.
It also gives the designated driver a reason to feel proud of himself/herself for taking the responisibilty to drive themselves and their friends home safely – which will make the driver less likely to fall victim to any peer pressure whilst out and less likely for their friends to pressure to them into having “just one beer”.
The Go places with Drive Dry campaign tackles the issue that people are more scared of not living up to the expectations of their friends and family than the legal ramifications of their actions. It is for this reason that the campaign will focus on encouraging individuals to make a public declaration of their decision to “drive dry”, as it is more likely to have an impact on them and make them think twice the next time they want to get behind the wheel.
Reviewed by: Red & Yellow School marketing & advertising communications management student, Ashleigh Crowther
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