‘Here’s to Responsible Choices’ – a campaign to encourage university and college students to adopt a responsible approach to drinking – kicked off on 150 Canadian campuses earlier this month. It’s being coordinated by the Toronto-based Student Life Education organization, which has staged similar initiatives since 1986. And Molson Canada is sponsoring the effort for the second consecutive year. But that’s where the major resemblances to the past stop.
This time around, the ball has been tossed into the students’ court with the inauguration of a highly interactive website, complete with an enticing contest. Visitors to HeresToMyChoice.com are being asked to post mini-blogs on one or more of six themes revolving around responsible drinking behaviour: taking care of friends; achieving a healthy balance between academics and leisure; safe driving; ‘personal protective behaviour (eating before drinking); establishing wise financial habits; and watching friends’ drinks to make sure nothing nasty is slipped into them.
The campaign also features the on-campus distribution of posters, buttons, fortune cookies and age-of-majority birthday cards. All are designed to drive traffic to the website. As for the contest, which concludes on Oct. 12, entries on the above themes can be submitted as video, audio, graphic or writing. The winner will be voted on by members of the Bacchus Canada Network campus organization. The prize is $1,000, plus viral fame and helping fellow students.
The only advertising for the initiative is a PSA created by Toronto’s Bristol Communications, which has been made available to campus radio stations. All other concepts and messaging were done in house by Student Life Education.
Explaining his company’s interest, Ferg Devins, Molson VP of government & public affairs, says: ‘Molson recognizes that college and university students are a key target audience for our responsible drinking message.’
