Diageo Launches New Responsible Drinking Campaign “Know When to Stop” for the Holiday Season

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$DEO–Diageo, maker of Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Baileys has today launched a new responsible drinking global campaign “Know When to Stop,” designed to make people stop and think about overindulgence during the festive period.

Through a series of digital animations, the campaign shows what happens when common holiday pleasures like eating sweet treats, binge watching TV and films and over-decorating your home can become one too many. Launched across Diageo’s social channels, “Know When to Stop” is part of the company’s commitment to reaching one billion people with dedicated responsible drinking messaging by 2030 and to educate people on the risks of the harmful use of alcohol as part of the company’s 10-year action plan, Society 2030: Spirit of Progress. To see the series of animations, visit Diageo’s social media channels here.

“As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, Diageo is committed to promoting positive drinking and educating consumers about the importance of moderation, especially during this period when overindulgence typically occurs,” said Stephanie Childs, Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations, Diageo North America. “The holidays can be a time of mixed emotions for many so ‘Know When to Stop’ is a way for us all to remember the importance of staying safe and mindful in our actions.”

Commissioned by Diageo, the campaign includes a survey of legal drinking-age adults in the U.S. to gauge people’s feelings and attitudes toward holiday indulgences and experiences. Nearly half (45%) of people readily confessed to generally eating and drinking more during the holidays than any other time of the year and close to one in four (22%) report they didn’t get to celebrate the winter holidays the way they wanted to in 2020 and plan on making up for it this year.

Other top findings from respondents include:

• 81% of Americans plan to do at least one thing in excess this year than they typically do.
  • Among those who plan to do at least one thing in excess, more than half (55%) admit they will eat more sweets and baked goods this year than in the past, while more than 2 in 5 will be binge-watching TV and movies (43%) and shopping (42%).
  • Close to 3 in 5 (57%) of this group will spend more time with loved ones this winter holiday than they have in the past.
  • More than 1 in 3 people (34%) plan to do more to decorate in excess, such as hanging indoor and outdoor decorations and setting up multiple trees; and younger adult generations are more likely than their older counterparts to decorate in excess. (Gen Z [41%], Millennials [36%] vs. Gen X [28%], Boomers [18%])
• About 2 in 3 (65%) people admit they have a guilty pleasure they’d be embarrassed about, such as their food and drink indulgences or holiday spending habits.
  • Over 3 in 10 people (32%) with guilty pleasures confess they would be humiliated if people learned about their enjoyable weaknesses of holiday movies or TV shows, and about 1 in 4 people with guilty pleasures admit they’d be embarrassed for anyone to know how they feel about holiday-themed clothing or pajamas, like ugly Christmas sweaters (24%) and decorating (23%).

The digital animations were created by an award-winning illustrator. Cari Vander Yacht, said “I wanted to visually capture the sort of manic nature of ‘too much of a good thing’ which was central to the overall idea of moderation. I like tales of human folly, so I tried to capture that in a festive, over the top way.”

The global campaign has been designed to drive adults of legal drinking age to DRINKiQ – a global resource to help people make responsible choices about drinking, or not drinking – for more information about drinking responsibly. DRINKiQ is available in 16 languages and 35 country sites and is a dedicated responsible drinking website that provides training, information and practical advice on alcohol and its impact on the body, along with a range of resources to encourage moderate consumption.

Note to Editors:

Survey Methodology

Source: Kelton Global, a Material Company, and Diageo commissioned studies of 1,915 legal drinking-age consumers in the U.S. about their feelings and attitudes toward holiday indulgences and experiences.

About Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.

Contacts

Luis Carlos Rabago

Luis.Rabago@diageo.com
(203) 690-0860