Stop Your Boozing - 7 Ingenious Don't Drive Drunk Ads

by Amy Gifford

Here are some of the most eye-catching ways advertisers are highlighting the dangers of alcohol, alcohol awareness and drunk driving awareness in recent ad programs:

1. Absolut

Many drunk driving awareness campaigns play on other already existing liquor and beer campaigns.

Like this one, using a play on words similar to the famous Absolut Vodka campaigns.

Source: Adbusters

2. MADD Restrooms

The following are some powerful ads used in restrooms at bars from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers: .

Source: Frederik Samuel

3. MADD Skull

Also from MADD, this print ad shows the view from the grave...see the subtle skull?

Source: Ads of the World

4. PSA Parking Lots

These public service drunk driving awareness ads were painted in parking lots around the country.

5. PSA Prison Food

This is also an interesting marketing angle emphasizing that if you get caught, you may be looking at jail time. the fork covers read, "prison food doesn't taste this good."

Source: tastespotting

6. Molson Life through a Glass

Or this ad from Molson, showing the effects of drinking and driving.

Source: Coffeehaus

7. Vida Urgente

These great guerilla marketing posters, glued on street posts, read “There are better things to hit on in the evening. Don´t drink and drive”.

Source: Adverbox

What are your overall feelings on the effectiveness of these ads? Did they catch your eye? Do you think they work? Which is your favorite?

Amy Gifford
Marketing Blogger
InventorSpot.com

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Comments

Sep 13, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

i just love all the

i just love all the ingenious ads series you've been posting lately. I actually visit inventorspot almost just to watch them. so inventive and effective. i bet you could do a blog with just this concept : ingenious ads, sorted by theme or category.

great idea and i'm sure lots of research.

keep up the good work !

Sep 13, 2007
by Anonymous ME (not verified)

I Like

the "Abosolute on Ice" the best! The others are okay, although I'd question any/all of these ads' effectiveness. The skull looks more like a partially opened cocoanut (perhaps more suitable for a "crackhead" ad.)

Sep 13, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

coconut

coconut spelling (oops)...

Sep 14, 2007
by Bart (not verified)

Nice

Three is really good. Had to view it twice before i saw the skull. Four is an eye-opener too :)

Sep 14, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

Not so great

4 is probably the best since it's the one that actually discourages what is so uncool about drunk driving.

5 is the worst since it's circular logic: "Don't drink and drive because we say so."

Sep 14, 2007
by Derrcik (not verified)

I really like no.2. So

I really like no.2. So simple yet so effective.

Sep 14, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

the besy

has gotta be number 7.

Sep 14, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

Hey i should start a blog so i can make money of the millions of people that have died from drunk driving by posting my gay shit up to digg...

Sep 14, 2007
by Nicholas (not verified)

Number 3 isn't a view from the grave

Number 3 is a bunch of kids graduating from either High School or College. The skull's eyes and nose are their caps that they threw up into the air.

I'm not exactly sure what the point is, other than if it's HS, then underage drinking at your graduation celebration might kill you... or maybe you're already passed out on the ground and that's why your view is looking up through all the kids in their grauation gowns.

Anyway... just wanted to point out that it wasn't a grave.

Sep 14, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

Blogs make money? Right...

Blogs make money? Right... There are much easier ways to make a few cents. Such as finding pennies on the street. Noone writes blogs for money dumbass. They write them to inform or entertain us. And they're practically doing it for free.

Sep 14, 2007
by Michelle

Writing a blog is about

Writing a blog is about the lowest paying stuff you can do. . None of us on the site make a lot of money, and thus we view readers and diggs like applause for the fine work people do.

It take a lot of time and effort for Amy and other writers to get together interesting and entertaining stuff to read.

If it was about the money, we'd all have quit months ago.

Michelle
InventorSpot.com Team

Sep 14, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

Or...

It might actually be a view from the grave. Maybe something along the lines of "this may be the only view you have of your children's graduation".

Sep 14, 2007
by Anonymous (not verified)

but what about...

Ok, I get it. Drunk driving is bad. But what is the leading cause of motor accidents?Distraction- but it doesn't sound scary so we don't teach that lesson. Instead we (I) wait and learn the hard way. I take issue with the advertisement in number 7. Can you imagine driving along and trying to read that small white on red font?
I just want to remind people, being sober isn't always enough.

Sep 15, 2007
by Daniel (not verified)

Evaluation? Distribution?

Okay, these are cute creative concepts, but it takes more than a little wink marketing to actually change behaviour. Has even a single one of these been distributed widely enough to reach a significant proportion of the driving population? How about citing an independent evaluation for any one of these, showing it actually had any impact on drink-driving behaviour?

Also, your frikkin' maths problem ALWAYS rejects my first answer, even though it's correct. Inventors. Sheesh.

Oct 10, 2007
by Michael (not verified)

This really is the most effective

I agree that this is the most effective campaign ever produced. You can view the complete spot on www.whosdrivingtonight.com - it's called "Before and After"

Oct 14, 2007
by billy bob (not verified)

it is a grave gosh cant

it is a grave

gosh cant you see that while youre friends are graduating you could be dead?

Apr 6, 2008
by Anonymous

agreed

I like the flickr one from mar 12 08, the rest in my younger days I would have laughed at and ignored. Used to drink and drive nearly every night for probably 7-8 years, but then again some of us are just born lucky (and drive 4x4 SUVs just in case). That might set fire to the place... I'll have to check the damage later.