Long-running campaign in the EU utilising non-alcoholic beer to tackle drink driving

The first high-profile, long-running campaign in the EU utilising non-alcoholic beer to tackle drink driving was in Spain and now continues to run in its latest guise. It is a national campaign, run every year since 2000 by Cerveceros de Espana, in co-operation with the National Traffic Authority (DGT), funded and supported by 16 different stakeholders (CNAE, AOP, RACC, Asociación Española de Carreteras, ADA, RACE, CEA, Stop Accidentes, Rotary International, Fesvial, FEHR, Aesleme, Aspaym, Aevecar, Pons Fundación, FEMP).
The creativity of the campaign is characterised by the use of positive and educational message to the public in general, and young adults in particular, without using repression. The campaign message is clear that the road demands alcohol not be consumed when taking the car, whilst non-alcoholic beer is an option for those who wish to consume beer. In 2010 the campaign became part of the European Road Safety Charter and was subsequently awarded the Road Safety Medal of Merit by the National Government because of its contribution to road safety awareness and education (road fatalities in Spain hadk reduced by 2015 to the level recorded in 1961).
In 2013 the logo was updated with a fresher image and more direct message: “On the road, non-alcoholic beer” and the campaign had two main elements: the Bus Roadshow and Street action. During more than two months a “customised” bus toured some of the main cities of Spain, serving as a traveling billboard, with the interior adapted so visitors could learn about the incompatibility of alcohol and driving, through educational materials, information panels, merchandising (leaflets and non-alcoholic beer) and interactive media. A digital media creativity competition, where 10 GPS and non-alcoholic beer could be won, also invited people to send a photo of something curious they have in their cars, linking to the idea that inside the car you can have anything except alcohol. The bus travelled over 5,500 km in 2013 and received over 8000 visits during the summer of 2013, with over 300 radio spots also running across the country. On 14 August 2013, the busiest day on the roads, an action was also run in petrol stations, based on an exchange of two non-alcoholic beers for any other object that consumers had in the cars that they could live without. The drink was offered together with some leaflets containing awareness messages in 34 points in 7 cities in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Zaragoza, A Coruña, Sta. Cruz de Tenerife and Malaga). Furthermore, 2000 direct messages were launched on smartphones in restaurants and service areas through the biggest social network, Foursquare. In 2013 the campaign was covered in 139 articles in offline, online and blog media, whilst there were 44 impacts across social media.
In 2014, a crew of Harley Davidson Riders then became the main ambassadors of the campaign, with the SIN Riders’ actions further increased in 2015. In order to impact consumers in a direct way, the SIN Riders rode more than 6,000 km and stopped in more than 50 cities countrywide in the summer of 2015, when road travel increases. During this summer tour, motorcycle gatherings were organised, involving local riders in events with live music. The SIN riders approached consumers with awareness messages and information about non-alcoholic beer. To generate coverage during the road trips, press presentations were organised in the main Spanish cities, with a kickoff press conference in Madrid.The riders and their motorbikes joined public local institutions in symbolic outdoor venues in each city. The media campaign was supported by a digital campaign on YouTube, whilst a website (http://www.sinriders.com) was created where the SIN Riders explained their adventures and invited drivers, associations and motorcycle clubs to join them. This site has been a very useful channel to communicate the campaign values in an appealing way through video blogs, routes and advice. Profiles in Facebook, Twitter and Youtube were opened to spread the messages and consolidate the target audiences.
The campaign of the Spanish Brewers was presented at a joint ETSC – Spanish Confederation of Driving Schools (CNAE) workshop at the Spanish Representation of the European Commission in Madrid. This was the second national workshop of the SMART project, a three-year partnership between The Brewers of Europe and the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).