Responsibility Initiatives
Creating Campaigns That Work
any states rely on traditional marketing
methods to promote their responsible
drinking campaigns, utilizing materials
such as posters, brochures, public service
announcements, and coasters, among others.
The biggest challenge is determining how to
keep these messages captivating and relevant.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
(PLCB) contemplated these issues prior to
launching its large-scale ���Call the Shots���
campaign two years ago. Targeted toward
young adults ages 21 to 29, each facet of this
multi-media campaign drives people to an
interactive web site, ControlTonight.com.
The Web site has unique personalization
capabilities designed to customize each visitor���s individual user experience and deliver
more effective messaging.
���One of the challenges we faced is that the
whole general responsible drinking campaign
had kind of lost the interest of our intended
audience some time ago,��� says Jerry Waters
Sr., Executive Director of the PLCB���s Office
of Regulatory Affairs. ���We were challenged
to come up with something fresh, and I think
we were very successful at doing that.���
A focal point of the ���Call the Shots��� campaign was
the ���459 Friends��� television advertisement. Inspired by
the many friends people tend to accumulate on social
networking sites, the ad features a young woman in an
intoxicated state, sitting alone at a bus stop in a desolate
urban area late at night. The ad stresses that despite the
fact that the woman has 459 friends, she really only
needed one good friend who could have prevented her
from ending up in what is a potentially dangerous situation. Waters reports that the ad was extremely wellreceived and commended for its ability to get the campaign message across to the intended audience.
Prior to implementing the ���Call the Shots��� campaign, the PLCB conducted multiple focus groups to
test the effectiveness of its messaging. Stacy Kriedeman,
Deputy Director of External Affairs, notes that although
no one in the focus groups admitted to ever making irresponsible choices while drinking, almost everyone
claimed to have a friend who was known to drink too
much and make bad decisions as a result. The PLCB
M
Some examples of the
wide variety of social
responsibility initiatives
at the Pennsylvania
Liquor Control Board
include an interactive
ControlTonight.com
web site, as well as
several display materials targeted at the
youth demographic.
Control states develop innovative
campaigns to publicize their
responsibility messages.
By Melissa Niksic
ontrol states are constantly seeking new and inventive ways of conveying messages about responsible
drinking to the general public. While many of
these initiatives are focused on young people and college
campuses, a major challenge of all states is developing
effective messaging that resonates with people of all
ages. How do you keep things realistic, fresh and engaging? And with so many other media campaigns vying for
people���s attention, how do you ensure that your messages don���t get lost in transit?
StateWays reached out to several control states to
learn about some of their individual programs: what
seems to work best, how people have responded, and
what plans are for the future.
C
StateWays I www.stateways.com I March/April 2013
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