Drink Right
Red Stripe’s responsible consumption programme began in 2008. The Drink Right campaign is the company’s current activation in this regard. Our products are enjoyed in moderation every day, and we think it’s our responsibility to encourage people to consume them responsibly. We believe people above the legal purchase age of 18 years can drink alcohol in moderation, as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
However, there are clear health and behavioural risks associated with consuming too much alcohol – and they don’t just effect the individual. Harmful alcohol use is damaging to other people, to society and to our industry and its reputation.
The Drink Right campaign is tripartite in nature as denoted by its slogan — “Right age. Right amount. Right way.”
Right age.
The legal purchase age (LPA) for alcohol in Jamaica is 18 years. As such the messaging in our advertisements/commercials/promotions and all communications never target persons below the LPA. Alcohol brands in Red Stripe’s portfolio never sponsor or otherwise support events or activities targeting minors.
Identification checks are now mandatory at events sponsored by alcohol brands in the company’s portfolio. Armbands are placed on adults (18+) at all entry points and bar staff are instructed to not serve alcohol to patrons without an armband.
• The Movement
In 2016 Red Stripe launched a new feature in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and the National council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) which will uses a live theatre production on the dangers of underage drinking.
The initiative, dubbed the Movement, seeks to change youth attitude to alcohol drinking and to provide information on the facts of alcohol, through exploration of causes and consequences of alcohol misuse. It also aims to empower students to tackle peer pressure and make informed decisions. In 2016 The Movement visited 31 high schools impacting over 5500 students. In 2017 the programme will visit 75 high schools reaching over 13,500 students.
• WeID
Also in 2016 Red Stripe engaged some key stakeholders in the re-launch of the WeID programme. WeID seeks to address the pervasive issue of underage consumption of alcohol and aims at encouraging partners who sell its alcohol products along with those of competing brands to request identification from purchasers to verify they are above the legal purchasing age of 18 years.
The relaunch of the programme received an overwhelmingly positive response from the invited partners, including Hi-Lo Food Stores, Progressive Grocers, MegaMart, Bashco and RUBiS Energy along with some 200 community bars islandwide. The relaunch engaged some 250 locations across the island, adding to the 115 locations which participated in the original launch that took place in 2014.
Right amount.
Know your limit. Moderation is key especially when consuming the alcohol brands in our portfolio. As a result we place a responsible drinking reminder (RDR) in our messaging for commercials, advertisements and other forms of communication.
Particularly at events sponsored by our portfolio brands we remind DJs and MCs as well as other staff working at the events to share the RDR at intervals with the audience:
- Never share alcohol with anyone under 18 years
- Never drink and drive
- Always space drinks with water and/or juice
- Always eat before drinking
We encourage you to use an online blood alcohol calculator to assist you in gauging how much alcohol is in your system when you consume. Click here
PLEASE NOTE: Jamaican law states that the legal alcohol limit is 35 μg/100 ml alcohol in breath or a blood alcohol level of 80 mg/100 ml alcohol in blood
Right way.
This component of the Drink Right campaign is closely tied to Right Amount as both are tied to behaviour. A key focus under this component for 2017 is turning a focus on the use of a designated driver.
This resulted in the creation of a campaign called #WhosDrivingYouJa which was activated during the Carnival season February – April and will be reiterated in Summer July – August as well as November – December. During the carnival season the public was invited to nominate their designated driver for the Bacchanal Fridays series.
On each of the six nights in the series Red Stripe treated 10 lucky nominees to a VIP party experience which included access to a full buffet, petrol and cool gear from our alcohol portfolio. The exercise was well received and the coverage across the media landscape reminded persons that the safe thing to do when going out to events with alcohol is to appoint a designated driver.