Alcohol-free Budweiser Prohibition leads drink-driving campaign

New alcohol-free beer Budweiser Prohibition Brew is set to front a major ad campaign, focused on getting the nation home safely for Christmas.

The brand is supporting the Department for Transport (DfT)’s THINK! Christmas campaign, designed to tackle drink-driving.

The adverts, which are launching across out-of-home sites across the UK for the month of December and on digital platforms, show a series of festive yet pertinent messages encouraging people to make smart drinking choices during the festive period and get home safely for Christmas.

Fall in casualties

The ad campaign is backing the THINK! campaign. Road casualties caused by drink-driving have fallen significantly in recent years but the latest figures published by the DfT recorded 5,730 accidents and 8,470 casualties in England and Wales in 2015, caused by drink-driving.

The alcohol-free version of Budweiser, which arrived in the UK last month, is designed to give those celebrating the festive season the taste of beer, without the alcohol.

Budweiser UK marketing manager Rowan Chidgey said: “As an iconic global beer brand, we not only have a responsibility to help fight important issues like drink-driving, but also to make it easier for people to make smart drinking choices.

“We are really pleased to be supporting THINK! to keep safety front of mind this Christmas and proud to make great products like Budweiser Prohibition Brew, so party-goers can enjoy beer as well as moderation."

Getting home safely

He added: “We have put it at the heart of our responsible drinking campaign this year, so as many people as possible can celebrate this Christmas and get home safely.”

Road safety minister Jesse Norman said: “Thanks to generations of THINK! campaigns, drink-driving has become socially unacceptable with an 88% drop in fatalities over the past three decades.

“This year’s THINK! campaign builds on that record, working to prevent this devastating behaviour, which puts so many lives at risk.”