Hydrate Generously | Drink in Moderation — Crown Royal
Crown Royal, a Canadian whisky company, has presented itself to a new audience in their Hydrate Generously commercial campaign. This drug ad of interest is the first of its kind: a hard liquor advertisement during a regular season of NFL games. Generally, when alcohol advertisements are played during a football game, they’re generally a beer or hard cider, where the alcohol content is around 4-6%; Crown Royal, however, has an alcohol content of 40%. I decided to focus on alcohol advertisements as they’re normalized throughout American society, especially in sports settings. Alcohol is widely accepted in our modern society, despite its risks to our health. Though it’s the number one abused drug in the United States, it’s still heavily accepted and widely available and accessible.
The alcohol brand was introduced in Canada in 1939 and has been available in the United States since 1964, and since then has become the top selling Canadian whisky in the nation. The company is currently owned by Diageo, a major alcoholic beverage distiller and major producer of beer. Along side Crown Royal, they own brands including Smirnoff, Baileys, Guinness, and Hennessy. Their slogan, “Celebrating Life, Every Day, Everywhere” is in regards to their business dedicated to alcohol and the assumptions that drinking is always a positive, party experience. Crown Royal itself, however, appears as though it doesn’t have a mission or slogan and that it varies from advertising campaign. In terms of their most recent campaign, their slogan is “Hydrate Generously”, encouraging people who drink alcohol to drink in moderation and to stay hydrated as well.
Unlike beer commercials played during football games, that generally focus on on the fun, party side of drinking, Crown Royal takes a different approach by making a football reference of the water boys on the sidelines. This advertisement even put out a season-long campaign, where Water B.O.Y.S. (Beverage Offsetters at Your Service) would distribute water during football games, tailgates, sports bars, and in rideshare vehicles, such as Lyfts or Ubers. Pictured in the commercial is a coach and Water B.O.Y.S. practicing techniques to squirt water into mouths. The first words of the advertisement are “It’s a life and death situaion. You have one of the most important jobs in the whole stadium. […] We need to make sure the fans are moderating their drinking and hydrating.” Because this advertisement was played during a football game, the intention is to mirror a football practice; this would, of course, grab the attention of football fans and those who are partaking in drinking while watching the game. Typically, those who watch football games take it very seriously. This advertisement plays off of that and encourages the intended audience to take their safety seriously as well. The last line of the advertisement is “Water is literally life”, tying the idea altogether that taking breaks between drinking alcohol is vital.
Although this Crown Royal ad is fairly ahead of its time and encourages the target market to take care of themselves while drinking, it completely ignores why it’s important to drink water and stay hydrated. Additionally, they don’t state the dangers that need more than just water, such as drinking too much and what it does to your body. Alcohol’s active ingredient, ethanol, “directly influences the stomach, brain, heart, gallbladder, and liver. It affects levels of lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and insulin in the blood, as well as inflammation and coagulation. It also alters mood, concentration, and coordination” (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/alcohol-full-story/). Alcohol intake effects everyone differently, therefore making the phrase “Drink in Moderation” arbitrary. Perhaps a more effective way to promote Crown Royal and still have the important safety message would be to encourage finding what “moderation” is in each person. This varies by age, weight, height, genetics, and gender. The phrase “drink in moderation” is often thrown around in regular life, though few truly understand what it means in terms of their own body and limits. Though ethanol itself is non-addictive, the reaction the molecule has with neurotransmitters is. Over 18.2 million Americans suffer from alcoholism and 1 in 3 violent crimes involve alcohol.
This Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey advertisement uses visual imagery to get its point across. People, specifically Americans, take football and other sports very seriously. This advertisement creates the allusion that people should care that much when drinking, as well. I would argue that this advertisement is fairly transparent. It encourages those who are drinking to take care of themselves while engaging in drinking alcohol, and even created a real-life Water B.O.Y.S. program as mentioned previously. I, however, would argue that Crown Royal is using safety as a selling point, rather than having genuine care for their potential customers. Because Crown Royal is a part of the massive, multi-billion dollar beverage company, Diageo, it’s hard to believe that safety is their first priority. As I stated earlier, this advertisement is the first liquor commercials to be shown during a regular NFL season. Maybe a socially responsible advertisement was easier to be approved for football games, rather than the liquor’s beer and hard cider counterparts, where they can show partying and attractive people.
Overall, I believe that most everything can be good— or harmless, not necessarily good or better— in moderation, and this includes drinking alcohol. However, moderation means different things to different people and varies from person to person. Though there are studies that link potential health benefits to drinking alcohol, such as an “inverse association between moderate drinking and risk of heart attack, ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, peripheral vascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and death from all cardiovascular causes” (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/alcohol-full-story/), as well as some links to improving digestion and a more positive well-being. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend drinking whisky to my peers or family, as its intention isn’t to heal or improve health. I would, however, recommend friends and family to find their maximum amount of drinks they can have before negative effects ensue and how it can effect them, both emotionally and physically.
Sources:
Schultz., E., & E.J. Schultz E.J. Schultz. (2017, September 07). See the First-Ever NFL Regular Season Liquor Ad. Retrieved November 08, 2017, from http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/nfl-regular-season-liquor-ad/310381/
C. (2017, September 08). Hydrate Generously | Drink in Moderation | Crown Royal Water B.O.Y.S. :60. Retrieved November 08, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jBHILZvm04
Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits. (2016, April 12). Retrieved November 08, 2017, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/alcohol-full-story/
Kirkpatrick, D. (2017, September 11). Crown Royal airs first regular season NFL liquor ad. Retrieved November 08, 2017, from https://www.marketingdive.com/news/crown-royal-airs-first-regular-season-nfl-liquor-ad/504626/
Why is Alcohol Addictive? What Makes it Addictive? (2016, October 25). Retrieved November 08, 2017, from https://www.quitalcohol.com/information/why-is-alcohol-addictive.html