MTV and Diageo urge consumers to drink responsibly

MTV Networks India and Diageo India have rolled out a Pan-Asian 'Diageo MTV Guardian Angel' campaign, to dissuade consumers from driving under the influence of alchohol. The initiative encourages consumers to "Listen to your Guardian Angel – if you drink, don't drive". MTV VJs Nikhil Chinnapa and Anusha Dandekar have been brought on board to promote this campaign in India.
 
As a part of this campaign, a team of "Responsible Drinking ambassadors" dressed as angels will visit the popular watering holes in Mumbai and Bengaluru over weekends, and encourage individuals to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol, or to use public transport or thirdly, designate a driver. These Responsible Drinking ambassadors will also hand out bottled water to party-goers and tips on how to drink responsibly.
 
Speaking on the occasion, Asif Adil, managing director, Diageo India said, "Alcohol is there to be enjoyed – but responsibly. No one should ever drink and drive. We believe our 'Guardian Angels' will grab everyone's attention and help to deliver this message in an appealing and inspirational way."
 
Commenting about the campaign, Ashish Patil, general manager, MTV Networks India said, "MTV has always believed in not just reflecting but also leading its audience. We do that for a variety of causes including HIV/AIDS and the environment. We connect because we never get preachy, but speak the audience's language. Anti-drunk-driving is one issue that our core audience is very vulnerable to. So we're delighted to be co-pilots with Diageo and activate the network and play safety seat belts to our audience."
 
Speaking about the media mix for the campaign, Patil said, "At the minimum there will be three platforms, hence there is television, on-ground and online, which we are involved with in a very big way."
 
The campaign will be present all throughout the festive season, right up to 1 January, 2009.