We gave away free tickets to all youngsters who took a breathalyser test on entering nightclubs and scored zero. We exchanged something that the government was looking for (reducing the intensity of alcohol consumption in pre-games) for something that young people wanted (entering the country’s top nightclubs for free without having to queue).

Implementation

We put across the message on social networks (used by the target audience), went out along the beaches where we were going to carry out the campaign and breathalyzed people at the entrance to nightclubs. Those who hadn’t consumed alcohol were allowed in free.

Timeline

Summer 2016

Placement

Punta del Diablo, La Pedrera, La Paloma, Atlantida, the main seaside resorts where young Uruguayans go.

Scale

We were present at the nightclubs that 4000 people go to per night, generating not only an impact on those who obtained the free ticket but on all those who entered.

1 in every 3 young people who entered the nightclub free did so thanks to Free Pass.

Results of online publication*:

Views

639,091

Printouts

7,617,755

Clicks

103.241

*Total population of Uruguay: 3,407,000

Response rate

Having had no planned coverage in any news media (only in social networks), all of the impact that was generated in the news was thanks to media space that we won. It made news in Uruguay, the region and the world.

100% of available tickets were given out every night of the campaign. The government decided to repeat it throughout the country and throughout the year.

Change in behaviour

We ensured that all young people getting into nightclubs as a result of the initiative did so without having drunk any alcohol at all. We promoted a responsible attitude which gave them something they wanted: a Free Pass.

Half of those who entered the clubs had reduced their alcohol consumption.

Because it involves a communication initiative that shows the effectiveness of giving the target a tangible and relevant benefit, ensuring a direct result and raising the profile of the government’s programme.

A communication initiative that is becoming national policy.

Starting with a brief that merely asked for a campaign, we developed an idea that became a government programme designed for young people (15 to 25) who are usually not reached by the system; bringing them closer to government by actively engaging their imagination and securing their acceptance.

Data gathering

We identified a concrete benefit that young people value as much as (or more than) drinking alcohol in the pre-game: getting in free and with VIP treatment, ie no queues or having to wait.

Target audience (consumer demographic/individuals/organisations)

Young people (men and women) aged 15 to 25.

Approach

We generated a real exchange between behaviour that the government wants to promote (lowering alcohol consumption in the pre-game) and a benefit that young people want to enjoy (entering nightclubs for free). That way we made sure that they entered the nightclub without having drunk anything, and we cut by at least 50% the number of hours spent consuming. Furthermore we limited consumption to the nightclubs, a more controlled environment than the streets.

Call to action

We gave away tickets to the country’s top nightclubs to those young people who recorded a breathalyzer result of 0,0 at the door.

Situation

Alcohol intoxications are one of the principal health problems in young people from 15 to 25 years of age. The problem is more acute in the moments prior to entering nightclubs, which is when most alcohol intoxication occurs.

Brief

The Uruguayan Ministry of Health identified the most problematic moment in alcohol abuse as the pre-game before entering nightclubs, and asked for a campaign in order to prevent alcohol abuse by young people aged 15 to 25.

Objectives

Diminish alcohol consumption in terms of intensity and frequency, by means of an initiative that spotlights the theme and includes both the target community and society as a whole in raising awareness of the risks that drinking carries.