If smashed, get smashed

With the start of the festive season, and the rise in the number of drink-and-drive cases, SABMiller India has launched various activities in collaboration with bars, and petrol pump stations to promote the concept of road safety and responsible drinking behaviour.

SABMiller India has launched the second leg of its campaign 'Respect the Road', to make people aware of traffic rules, and to promote responsible drinking behaviour. The campaign, which was kicked off with the start of the festive season in October 2011, will continue for another three months. The campaign is targeted for the Delhi/NCR people above 25 years of age, the lower legal age limit for drinking.

The second leg of the campaign is an extension of the brand's previous out of home campaign, launched in April 2011. This time, the campaign has been launched over other mediums as well, such as a radio campaign and a Facebook page, which will provide the latest updates, as well as carry out various promotions to encourage people not to drink and drive.

As part of the campaign, SABMiller India has collaborated with 30-40 pubs and bars in Gurgaon such as Route 04, Route 69, Bricks, and Urban cafe, in order to promote the concept by putting up messages on responsible drinking and encouraging the use of alternatives such as hire a driver or rent a cab. The brand has also tied up with 17-20 petrol pump stations, to distribute pamphlets with creative messages with movie names like 'Wake Up Sid' and 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara'.

Besides this, SABMiller India has used coasters, standies, posters, and pamphlets to provide information about HomeSafe, a company that offers personal chauffeur service, to provide a solution in case of a problem. Hoardings have also been put up at police check posts, petrol pumps, and other prominent intersections in Gurgaon.

"The 'Respect the road' campaign has been launched keeping in mind the festive fervour and the possibility of a rise in drunken driving cases around this time of the year. In this part of the campaign, we have expanded the scope of activities to motivate people to follow traffic rules, and not to mix drinking and driving," comments Meenakshi Sharma, vice-president, sustainability and communications, SABMiller India.

For the record, SABMiller India is the Indian arm of SABMiller PLC that serves popular brands such as Miller High Life, Foster's, Knockout, Haywards, Royal Challenge, Indus Pride, and the international brand Peroni Nastro Azzurro.

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