Pernod Ricard Asia urges Hong Kong’s young adults to ‘Make Memories, Not Hangovers’

Pernod Ricard, the world’s second largest wines and spirits company, is ramping-up its commitment towards sustainability and responsibility by today launching its first cross-market alcohol awareness social media campaign in Asia ‘Make Memories, Not Hangovers’, addressing the dangers of binge drinking and promoting responsible drinking.

In Hong Kong, public health authorities had identified harmful drinking as a concern. Studies have shown among persons aged 15 or above who had a drink containing alcohol in the 12 months preceding the survey, 22.6% reported that they had binge drinking (i.e. drinking at least 5 cans of beer, 5 glasses of table wines or 5 pegs of spirits on a single occasion) during this period.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed drinking habits by shifting places for alcohol consumption from bars and restaurants to homes, according to a survey by the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health and School of Nursing in 2021. Public health experts warned that some drinkers may be tempted to turn to alcohol during times of isolation and boredom.

As a leader in the wine and spirits industry, Pernod Ricard recognises its responsibility to contribute towards reducing alcohol-related harm and has adopted a targeted approach to addressing one area of harmful drinking – binge drinking – in five markets in Asia, including Hong Kong.

‘Make Memories, Not Hangovers’ launches in Hong Kong

The month-long social media campaign will educate young adults on the dangers of binge drinking and will encourage drinking in moderation. As well as being rolled out in Hong Kong, the campaign will also target audiences in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, from January 6 to February 6, 2022.

The campaign will consist of two phases, the first of which will focus on raising awareness on how much drinking is binge drinking, the dangers related to this drinking practice and how to drink responsibly, when one chooses to drink through a campaign video. The second phase will evaluate the impact of the campaign by measuring the knowledge lift of those who have been exposed to the campaign through an incentivised quiz.

Pernod Ricard’s commitment to promoting responsible drinking

This campaign forms part of Pernod Ricard’s long-standing commitment to promote responsible drinking. In 2021, it launched its Bar World of Tomorrow initiative in Hong Kong, a global training programme created in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The course is dedicated to teaching bartenders sustainable and responsible practices, including tips on responsible hosting. Partnering with Food Made Good HK, the training has reached close to 100 bartenders and managers from several of Hong Kong’s most popular bars.

Another example of Pernod Ricard’s commitment to responsible drinking was through the launch of an innovative digital campaign in 2021 in Europe, Africa and Latin America aimed at tackling the issue of binge drinking through a simple and universal call-to-action: ‘Drink More…Water.’ With “Make Memories, Not Hangovers” in Asia, the Group aims to extend a message of responsibility around the world.

Hermance de la Bastide, VP For Corporate Affairs and Sustainability and Responsibility (S&R) at Pernod Ricard Asia, said: “As “Créateurs de Convivialité”, we want to unlock the magic of human connections and bring people together with our brands. This is why we believe there is no conviviality with excess. Our mission of creating Conviviality requires us to help adult consumers make responsible choices about whether, when and how much to drink.”