Drink Driving Ad Campaign

THINK! is an ad campaign targeting drink driving in the United Kingdom with hopes of decreasing the number of people driving under the influence of alcohol. Run by the Department of Transport, it has been a campaign which has been running since the early 21st century. The campaign focuses on informing the citizens of the U.K. of the strict penalties which result from drink driving, done by video adverts and a variety of posters. Statistically this campaign has been confirmed effective, reducing the number of drunk drivers dramatically, along with the casualty rates. This proves that mass media influence people and their actions, as well as can be a vital tool to change our view on alcohol and its consumption.
The penalties of drink driving are highlighted very much by not only their adverts, but their posters as well. They threaten the viewer with fatal injuries, expensive fines, extensive driving bans, potential job loss, and having a criminal record. This creates a serious tone which the viewer subconsciously responds to. All of this combined effectively make the audience think that drink driving should not be considered an option in their lives.
This ad campaign focuses on informing the population about the very strict consequences that result of drink driving through their slogans. They use slogans on their posters such as “How much will your next round cost you?” with 4 different alcoholic beverages portraying these penalties. This is an interesting picture as people tend to view labels on alcoholic beverages, seeing the list of ingredients, finding its alcohol percentage, or just reading the manufacturer’s message to their consumers. This picture uses the same tactic as the manufacturers do, but instead promoting their campaign and the risks of driving under the influence. People noticing the poster get the urge to read it and they will have a higher chance of re-thinking the next time they have the opportunity to go drink driving.

The poster