Kenn Dein Limit

Social marketing campaigns are also making their marks in Berlin. There are reoccurring ads about alcohol tolerance at the train stations. Before I had the opportunity to translate the ad word for word, I assumed the layout of the ad and the body language of the subjects seem to illustrate a scenario where each person has a different reaction to alcohol and hence a different alcohol tolerance. They each know when to stop. I originally thought it was somewhat funny, because it seems that they each have their own “personality” that comes out when they are a tipsy or intoxicated, such as a girl who is extremely smiley. What the campaign says to me is to know your limit and to know when to stop. It's a great approach to a social marketing campaign. The ad layout is quite creative and trendy and it is something that our age group could relate to. Each person has their own personality when they've had a couple of drinks. Some may get giggly, others belligerent, some talkative others quiet and sleepy. I thought it was a great approach to find something in common with your target audience and communicate with them in a way they would understand. I don't speak German, but I believed I got the gist of the campaign.

I actually translated the ad and the aim of the ad is to communicate that “Alcohol destroys more than you think.” I visited the http://www.kenn-dein-limit.info Web site and there was a commercial for the print ad I had seen in Berlin. The ad actually doesn't have a funny tone at all, it's actually rather serious. The commercial takes place in a party and the follow a couple of young adults saying what their going to end up at the end of the night. One is a guy that just party's until he ends up in intensive care. Another one was a girl that ends up drunk on pictures. The whole campaign isn't just about the “personality” that comes out when they drink, but how drinking in excess can mess up more in your life than you think such as your reputation. This is a new approach to explaining the dangers of alcohol. It's not just about the physical damage you can experience but other social and psychological effects. The Web site also has nice widgets that a young audience can enjoy.

I can't think of a campaign off the top of my head that would compare to a social campaign in the U.S. but I'm sure there are many with a similar approach. I don't consider this approach something totally innovative. For example, the Truth campaigns have a trendy fun approach to them. Although they discuss a serious topic their approach to informing the public is somewhat fun, provocative and shocking. Also the target audience of this campaign calls for a trendy approach for communicating such a topic.

This social campaign is sponsored by two non-profit organizations. They also use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, StudiVZ, Myspace, Digg like many social campaigns in the U.S. On the Web site the also include an “Alkohol-Bodymap” where you can estimate how much alcohol your body can tolerate.

I believe the campaign is great overall except for one point. The print Ad I saw in Berlin was targeted to young adults in Germany. The models used in the print ad, Web site and commercial are all “typical” Germans. No minorities, such as Turks were included in the ad. The print ad in Berlin should have at least included a Turk, being that the Turkish population is so large in Berlin. It had also been pointed out that Berlin has one of the largest populations of young adults since there are so many Universities and schools in the city. One can assume that a large percentage of that student population is Turkish but the ad does not seem to communicate to them. The campaign would be more successful in Berlin if they tweaked it a bit.