Diageo urges safe drinking

Responsible Drinking ambassadors of Diageo depart from Beijing. File Photo

In a journey that covers over 1,000 km, more than 10 car owners from Beijing are driving through Tianjin, Jinan, Nanjing and other cities before arriving at their final destination of Shanghai.

They are Responsible Drinking ambassadors for Diageo PLC, the London-based premium liquor company.

The drivers are delivering a "don't drink and drive" message to the public.

Diageo will hold similar events in cities such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen to campaign against drunken driving.

Promotion tour

Li Ke of Beijing is one of the Responsible Drinking ambassadors.

Li said he at first was curious about why a company that sells leading brands of liquor, wine and beer would promote self-control and drinking.

He became a volunteer based on his own experiences. The real estate manager often attended business dinners and social activities where he was frequently urged to drink more, Li said.

Li said drinking is an old Chinese tradition to demonstrate the cordiality and hospitality of hosts and the honesty and friendliness of guests.

"I hope that all people will realize that controlling what they drink is a responsible behavior to themselves and to society," Li said.

The onroad promotion is just one part of Diageo's 2009 "Alcohol and Safety" campaign.

The company also is sponsoring an "Alcohol and Society" photography exhibit to be shown in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.

The photo exhibit is designed to engage the public in a more interactive way through pictures and multimedia materials, and to help consumers make informed and responsible choices with regard to alcohol.

Driving drunk has become a serious problem in China.

Statistics from the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau showed that in the first four months of this year, one quarter of 243 traffic fatalities in Beijing were caused by drunken driving.

All six major traffic accidents in Beijing involving the deaths of at least three people involved drinking and driving, according to the bureau.

Five were directly caused by drunken drivers.

Years of efforts

"This year's 'Alcohol and Society' campaign is closer to consumers, compared with previous campaigns," said Lu Haiqing, corporate relations director of Diageo Greater China.

The company has led several Responsible Drinking promotional activities since 2006, Lu said.

The alcoholic drinks company joined the Ministry of Commerce in May 2006 to host the "Alcohol and Society" forum.

The goal was to establish a free and open platform for the alcohol industry to create a favorable environment for the sustainable development of the industry and the market.

A second forum was held in 2007 featuring in-depth discussions on the corporate social responsibilities of the alcohol industry, brand building for enterprises and development of an alcohol sector.

The "Guardian Angel" campaign was launched in December 2008 to promote responsible drinking, and free "designated driver" services were offered to consumers.

During each year's Formula One Chinese Grand Prix season, Diageo puts up banners on Shanghai's elevated roads with the message: "Responsibility at Heart, Safety on the Road".

Diageo introduced the Chinese version of its DrinkIQ.com website in June to encourage consumers to make responsible choices regarding alcohol and to combat alcohol abuse.

The company also prints booklets that provide consumer tips such as eating snacks when drinking, drinking more water and avoiding continuous drinking.

"All of our efforts are helping consumers establish the right attitude toward drinking through a variety of ways, which is a prerequisite for sustainable development of both our company and the alcohol industry," Lu said.

Diageo, which entered the Chinese market in 2002, is the only premium spirits group with liquor, wine and beer brands.

The company's well-known brands include Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Bailey's, J&B, Guinness and Captain Morgan.

Diageo's 2008 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report stated that CSR should not be viewed as a perfunctory procedure or marketing tool, but as a long-term development strategy and requirement for overall success.

The three strands of the company's Responsible Drinking strategy outlined in the report are: setting world-class standards for responsible marketing and product innovation, raising consumer awareness of responsible drinking behavior, and combating alcohol misuse through working with others to reduce alcohol-related harm.

(China Daily 08/10/2009 page10)