Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.—Barbara De Angelis
Could a beer company have an answer to one of humanity’s oldest questions?
“What do women want?”
On most days I would respond to that question with a cynical, “Hell if I know,” and keep going. Most intelligent men know better than attempting to answer a question they can never hope to get correct. Every woman is different and, therefore, is going to have different desires and wants than the one sitting next to her. There’s no one desire that is universal to them all. Besides, “you can’t please everyone,” is another platitude with which we are all well aware. We should know the futility of trying to please women.
However, a study of premium beer drinkers between the ages of 21-35 showed that knowing your limit, drinking in moderation rather than getting shit-faced, passed-out drunk has a certain coolness factor. Millenials prefer hanging out with people who don’t let their drink define them. Women, especially, prefer partners who remain sober throughout the evening. So, the good folks over at Publicis Italy, a division of Publicis Worldwide, used that information as the basis for a new ad for a client very involved in the subject of over drinking: Heineken.
This isn’t the first time Heineken has taken on the subject of responsible drinking. Two years ago, their “Drink Less, Dance More,” campaing featuring DJ Armin Van Buren, examined how a DJ that keeps people dancing reduces the amount of drinking in a Miami night club.
Nuno Teles, CMO of Heineken USA told AdWeek, “Responsibility is becoming an active and attractive choice for a motivated generation who want to stay in control.”
This opens up the question of whether millennials are learning from the sins of their parents and correcting their bad habits. While we might like to give the generation some credit for doing better than we did, the numbers aren’t necessarily flattering.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) keeps track of binge drinking. While the problem is not unique to males, nor to millennials, there are some specific challenges needing to be addressed. Consider this list of disturbing facts:
- 70% of binge drinking episodes involve adults age 26 years and older.
- Men are twice as likely to binge drink as are women.
- Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependents, or what we might commonly refer to as “drunks.”
- Binge drinking is for the upper middle class and higher, those with over $75,000 in annual income.
- Roughly 90% of those under 21 who drink are involved in binge drinking.
- Binge drinkers are more likely to drive drunk.
- More than half the alcohol consumed in the US is done in the form of binge drinking.
The problem is so significant that a number of colleges and universities now have departments and facilities set up to deal with the issue and some have even banned certain fraternity activities in an attempt to reduce the amount of binge drinking on campus.
With a problem so very big, is one ad enough to make a significant change in the problem? That’s difficult to say. While the campaign started in 30 worldwide markets this week, it would take an immense amount of targeting and a more significant than usual budget to get the ad in front of the right eyes enough times for the message to sink in. The ad uses a soft, subtle visual backed by a popular, pounding soundtrack. Young men are notoriously thick-headed (I know because I’m still that way). We can’t expect them to get the message without seeing the ad several times, possibly in the company of young women who point out the commercial’s purpose.
Still, we have to applaud Publicis Italy and Heineken for at least taking on the issue, especially going into the Super Bowl and Spring Break, both of which are notoriously heavy drinking times for college-age students. Here’s the ad. Feel free to share with someone who might benefit from paying attention.
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