Heineken steps up to combat drink-driving
Heineken steps up to combat drink-driving
Beyond simple economics, many foreign enterprises contribute significantly to the development of the wider community. Some do not stop at community support initiatives and even go as far as trying to change negative social behaviours. Alexander Koch, HEINEKEN Vietnam’s commercial director, spoke to VIR’s Hoang Anh about its When You Drive, Never Drink campaign.
Why did HEINEKEN Vietnam choose to implement the When You Drive, Never Drink campaign? What outcomes do you expect?
Heineken is the world’s No.1 international premium beer brand and has become Vietnam’s favourite beer brand. We believe that this gives us the responsibility to drive behavioural change related to drink-driving. Vietnam has one of the highest drink-driving rates in our global survey. 37 per cent of the people in Vietnam think that it is acceptable to drink and drive, as opposed to the 28 per cent global average. Long-term behavioural change does not happen overnight and it will require sustained commitment and dedicated partners from the government and the private sector. Because of this, we are very happy to pursue a strategic partnership with the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) under our When You Drive, Never Drink campaign. We have been partners with the NTSC for many years and I am confident that this year, we will create even more positive outcomes in influencing drink-driving behaviour in Vietnam. However, it will take time and a continued effort to see long-term change, and we are committed for the long haul.
What are the key highlights of the campaign in 2018?
We have expanded last year’s campaign to present comprehensive solutions to help our consumers get home safely. This includes providing roundtrip Grab codes to consumers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, regardless of their choice of beer brand. We will also launch flagship outlets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to redesign the drinking environment, reminding consumers not to drink and drive. This includes discrete and targeted interventions along the consumer journey based on global research and trials conducted in the UK. We will also provide the NTSC’s trainers with engaging and interactive training tools so that they can reinforce the When You Drive, Never Drink message. Last but definitely not least, we will empower Vietnamese university students to be the future leaders of responsible consumption by organising a series of training sessions.
Can you tell us about the new design of Heineken’s flagship outlets? Which Heineken outlets will be chosen for this year’s campaign?
We will launch at least 30 flagship outlets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City between November 2018 and January 2019. In brief, we will apply our consumer insights to redesign the drinking environment at outlets and inspire consumers not to drink and drive. The specific design elements will vary by outlet, but we will stress the message from the moment consumers enter and repeat it at key touch points, such as on their table and at the bar, until the moment they leave. This will be combined with messages reminding them to use complimentary Grab codes when they go to their favourite outlets or when they leave.
Do you think this second year of the campaign will be more impactful?
In recent years, we and the NTSC have tried to increase the impact of the partnership. This year’s campaign is based on key findings from Heineken’s global behavioural research, which found that consumers do not set out to drink and drive, but once they start to drink, cultural and social norms can override their good intentions. We are confident that the new initiatives will bring the campaign to the next level by focusing on the consumer journey from start to finish, even before consumers arrive at their outlet of choice, during their time there, and when they leave for home. When implemented in the UK, the flagship outlet initiative showed a 50-per-cent reduction in the number of drink-drivers at the outlets with the best results. We hope to recreate the same impact in Vietnam.
