Binge drinking is a problem which can have devastating results, and it seems to take particular hold in cold dark climates. The Scottish Government has proposed the radical step of a minimum price per unit, which would make it the first country in Europe to take this step.
On the communications side, AdAge reports on a recent Kellogg study of the impact of public-service ads relying on “self-conscious” emotions like guilt and shame to change habits. Messages of this kind were instinctively resisted and even led to more drinking.
Social advertising is about the power of a simple but unexpected idea to connect in a sea of clutter. It is not about using shock tactics for the sake of shock, but – studies recommending positivity notwithstanding – I believe there are times when it takes a serious jolt to make people think and act, and I do mean “serious”. Here’s a different and surprisingly obvious approach, this one for drink driving in Germany.
