Four Social Campaigns That Are Re-Inventing How People Drink

As the world’s leading brewer, we want every experience with beer to be a positive one. A big part of that is helping people make smart choices when enjoying our products; don’t drink and drive, hydrate between beers, pace yourself with one drink or less an hour, opt for a no- or low-alcohol brew, are just a few examples. 

While shifting social norms isn’t necessarily easy, it can be done, says AB InBev Chief Marketing Officer, Pedro Earp.

“To advance AB InBev’s Smart Drinking Goals our marketing teams are investing $1 billion in social marketing to reduce the harmful use of alcohol,” he says. “Using data-driven, local insights and guidance from health experts, we’re developing innovative campaigns that are changing how people think and act when drinking.”

Whether creating new GenZ influencers or taking on age-old ideas about alcohol consumption, our bold campaigns are inspiring smart drinking around the world. Here’s a look at a few of our favorites.

Changing behaviors, one beer cap at a time

Our beloved Colombian beer brand, Aguila, recently paired up with restaurants, makers of bottled water, rideshare services and others to promote ways that consumers can ‘live responsibly’ when drinking beer. Our partners offer promotions for food, hydrating beverages and safe transportation right on Aguila’s bottle caps to capture people’s attention while consuming our products. The results speak for themselves. Not only were 23,304 caps redeemed, we also saw a longer-term impact among those exposed to the campaign: a double-digit increase in responsible behaviors such as eating before drinking and ordering a safe ride home, as well as greater awareness of the risks of excess alcohol consumption.

There’s #NoExcuse for abuse

Carling Black Label, the biggest beer brand in Africa, is helping reduce gender-based violence with its ground-breaking social campaign, #NoExcuse, that’s reached tens of millions of people since 2017. Today three out of four of young people say ‘it’s a campaign I would believe in’ and that it ‘breaks the silence on domestic violence’. And the campaign continues to make an impact – from ‘makeovers’ of South African taverns into safe spaces for women and where patrons drink responsibly, to a new helpline that was launched with partner, LifeLine, where women can confidentially and silently seek help with a text message.

A modern hero taking on drinking and driving

What do you get when you combine hip hop music, China’s famous Forbidden City and internet fads? A stunning, animated campaign that’s teaching Gen Z the risks of drinking and driving. Developed by Harbin, China’s oldest beer brand, along with public safety and non-profit partners, the campaign features Ha Jiang, a powerful young heroine, who travels through time warning of the dangers of irresponsible behaviors. For this campaign, Harbin Beer launched its first ever non-alcohol beer.

How about a ‘little treat'?

In Argentina, there’s an old saying, “I drink beer like water.” To take on long-held ideas like these about excessive consumption, our brand Andes Origen introduced a straight-forward but powerful campaign called ‘Gustito’ – suggesting that consumers think of beer as a little treat, or to enjoy just a taste, instead. Using eye-catching artistic drawings, the campaign helped consumers “drink less and better”.