Diageo has developed its “Grumpy Gorilla” creative to publicise its sponsorship of Free Travel Home on Hogmanay. The company behind Guinness, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan, has taken a new, creative route to publicise its sponsorship of Free Travel Home in Edinburgh by launching its ‘Grumpy Gorilla’ poster – an eye-catching and light-hearted ad to remind consumers to monitor and modify their drinking habits during the festive period. The ad also includes the hashtag #thinkhowyoudrink, which links to Diageo’s very successful ‘Think How You Drink’ campaign, launched in July 2013.
In Edinburgh, Diageo is sponsoring Lothian Buses to provide free bus travel on Hogmanay for the revellers making their way home from the city centre celebrations.
Mark Baird, Head of Industry Affairs & Alcohol Policy at Diageo, says, “We hope that ‘Grumpy Gorilla’ will grab people’s attention this Christmas and remind people that they will have a much better time if they drink sensibly. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.”
Mark Reddick, Executive Creative director at creative agency TMW, adds, “Responsible drinking is a serious subject and our challenge was to communicate this message in a way that would really resonate with our target audience. We decided to introduce an element of humour to the campaign, which we hope will grab young adults’ attention and encourage them to drink responsibly.”