ST. LOUIS, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Knowing you'll find the same cast of characters at almost any party, Anheuser-Busch will use stereotypical party-goers to remind the largest adult television audience of the year to use a designated driver. The new spot will debut during the pre-game television broadcast of Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5. It will be followed by a five-second video billboard that will air during the game, encouraging viewers to choose that designated driver.
In the 30-second ad, "Michael" makes his way through a house party identifying guests we can all relate to, such as the designated loud talker, designated hair product guy and designated bad dancer. At the end, Michael pulls out his keys and declares himself the designated driver while a voiceover says, "We all play a part. Thanks for being responsible."
"While it can be comical to see the same cast of characters at every party, it's important to make sure there's a designated driver present," says John Kaestner, vice president of Consumer Affairs for Anheuser-Busch. "We want to remind adults to make designated drivers standard practice among party-goers not just at their Super Bowl parties, but for all occasions."
According to a national survey, more than 146 million American adults have been a designated driver or have been driven home by one. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that the number of fatalities in drunk-driving crashes has declined 39 percent since 1982.
For more than a decade, Anheuser-Busch has been using celebrities and humorous story lines to promote personal responsibility during Super Bowl broadcasts. In recent years, Anheuser-Busch has worked with such big-name celebrities as Dale Earnhardt Jr., *NSYNC, Tim McGraw and Cedric "The Entertainer" to promote responsibility, encourage the use of designated drivers, and prevent underage drinking.
Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers nationwide have invested more than a half-billion dollars since 1982 in a comprehensive portfolio of more than two dozen community-based programs and national advertising campaigns to promote responsibility and discourage alcohol abuse, including underage drinking and drunk driving. The company ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine's 2005 "America's Most Admired Companies" and first in the beverage industry worldwide for social responsibility on FORTUNE's 2005 "Global Most Admired Companies" list.
For more information about Anheuser-Busch's responsible drinking programs, visit http://www.beeresponsible.com/ .
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