DrinkWise is committed to shaping a healthier and safer drinking culture in Australia.
One of the healthiest parts of Australia’s culture is our relationship with sport, recreational and cultural pursuits. In particular, sporting values, symbols and rituals are evident throughout our lives – from our own participation in school sport and local sporting teams through to state and national teams.
DrinkWise recognises that sport and leisure pursuits provides a fantastic opportunity to promote our key messages about the importance of moderation and being mindful as a parent or influential adult when drinking in front of younger Australians.
Keep the event the focus, not the alcohol.
According to AustraliaSCAN™ research, almost eight in 10 Australians see enjoying a few drinks with mates as a great Australian tradition. Research commissioned by DrinkWise indicates that almost eight in 10 agree that it’s okay to have a drink or two at public events. Most Australians however believe it is important to drink responsibly at sporting and cultural events – with most also acknowledging that an event can be ruined if people drink too much.
Having a drink at a sporting match, a comedy show or a music festival can be an enjoyable way to socialise with friends and family. However while the majority of those who drink alcohol at events do so responsibly, many can also point to times when they’ve overdone it, or have had their experience lessened because of a few too many.
The You won’t miss a moment if you DrinkWise initiative is an industry first – a collaborative approach to convey a unified moderation message encouraging sports fans, music lovers and festival goers to drink responsibly and ensure they don’t miss the most memorable moments of an event. This DrinkWise initiative involves collaborations with industry, event sponsors, media and sporting codes to promote the advantages of drinking in moderation.
Through such collaborations, the You won’t miss a moment if you DrinkWise message has been seen and heard at events across Australia. This includes racing carnivals, AFL, NRL, the Australian Open tennis, Surfing Australia and the World Cup of Cricket, as well as music festivals and national and local community festivals across the country, using donated advertising space, supported by the alcohol industry, sporting codes and broadcasters – including on ground signage, television and radio broadcasts.
In May 2019, DrinkWise announced its partnership with the NRL, to further promote responsible attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol consumption in the NRL community. The partnership includes a new program which will educate players, NRL officials and fans about the importance of drinking in moderation via education sessions with all NRL clubs, state clubs and junior representatives as well as DrinkWise presentations to rookie camps. A DrinkWise representative will also sit on one of the NRL’s Wellbeing and Education advisory groups.
The program launched with DrinkWise messaging featuring prominently across the Gold Coast to Brisbane convoy for the new “Magic Round”, when all 16 NRL clubs played over the opening weekend to kick off the NRL season. DrinkWise signage will be seen at all games, while a digital presence on NRL.com exposes the campaign to an additional 1.9 million unique viewers each week. DrinkWise has also partnered with the Gold Coast Titans and their Head of Performance and Culture, NRL great Mal Meninga, to further promote the DrinkWise moderation message.
The partnership was launched with a new You won’t miss a moment if you DrinkWise TV advertisement featuring NRL stars, including NRL legend Wally Lewis.
The You won’t miss a moment if you DrinkWise message is also promoted through a series of commercials featuring sporting legends. By recounting their memories of iconic sporting moments, the famous identities remind viewers that if they’re consuming alcohol while watching sport, to drink moderately so they won’t miss the great ‘moments’.
As part of DrinkWise’s Unmissable Moments series, Richmond Coach Damien Hardwick recalls the 2017 AFL Grand Final and the emotion of the Richmond fans as they realised their team was about to end a 37-year premiership drought.
Through an ongoing partnership with the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF), DrinkWise worked with SAHOF members to reflect on some of their favourite sporting moments. Featuring Ian Healy, Wally Lewis, Leigh Matthews, and Kevin Sheedy, the commercials showcase how important iconic sporting moments are to Australians, serving as a reminder to viewers that if they’re consuming alcohol while watching sport, to do so in moderation, so they too can recall the great ‘moments’.
In summer 2017/18, DrinkWise also partnered with the Melbourne Stars cricket team to showcase their favourite moments of the game.
