NORWALK, Conn., Nov. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo, a
global leader in beverage alcohol, today introduced "Decisions," a
first-of-its-kind virtual reality (VR) experience that puts
consumers of legal drinking age in the middle of a fatal drunk
driving crash. This launch represents the company's latest
innovative approach to educate and meaningfully impact consumers
about the importance of responsible decision-making when
drinking.
Diageo has brought Johnnie
Walker, the number one blended Scotch whisky in the world,
to the forefront for the rollout of this new initiative, given the
brand's work globally launching the Join the Pact program.
Through Join the Pact, Johnnie
Walker in key markets across the globe has urged consumers
to stop drunk driving by having them take a pledge to never get
behind the wheel while intoxicated, and encouraging their friends,
family members and loved ones to do the same. Johnnie Walker has been an early pioneer in this
space by paving the way with Join the Pact and now
presenting this virtual reality experience to further reinforce
responsible drinking. To date, Join the Pact has received
2.6 million commitments globally and has delivered roughly 630,000
miles of safe rides home. Additionally, Johnnie Walker continues to innovate and make
strides in the digital space, as the new "Decisions" experience
comes on the heels of the brand's recently launched Digital
Mentorship program, which offers two unique digital experiences for
consumers across Amazon Alexa and Bots for Facebook Messenger.
With the purpose of showing the repercussions of getting behind
the wheel after a night of excessive drinking, "Decisions" follows
the journeys of three different vehicles and their passengers. The
stories of each individual group – all unrelated at the outset –
unfold as the viewer discovers the different motivations that led
to each group's night out. In one vehicle, three friends are
heading to a party. Filled with laughter and excitement, their
story shows the carefree spirit fueled by the many possibilities
that may lie ahead. In another vehicle, the story focuses on an
adult woman celebrating a breakthrough in her career. The third and
final vehicle explores the touching relationship of a husband and
wife during their first date night since the birth of their new
baby. All three storylines, and vehicles, ultimately converge in a
tragedy that the viewer will be able to see, hear and feel.
Through the use of immersive VR technology to share this story,
Diageo powerfully highlights the negative impact that one bad
decision can have on multiple lives. With consumer interest in VR
continuing to grow, Diageo is using it as a way to bring consumers
closer to an important issue facing many communities across the
U.S.
"With Thanksgiving and the holiday
season right around the corner, the dangers of drunk driving should
be on all of our minds as we celebrate with friends and family.
Although drunk driving fatalities are at an all-time low*, every
single drinking and driving death can and should be avoided. It
carries additional weight this time of year. On average, 728 people
are injured or killed in drunk-driving crashes each day during the
holiday season**, and this issue will continue to be incredibly
important to Diageo," said James
Thompson, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Diageo
North America. "With VR technology on the rise both in consumer
interest and utilization, we believe this is the ideal method to
directly and emotionally impact consumers. It was a natural fit for
Johnnie Walker to lead given the
brand's work with their ongoing Join the Pact initiative.
Through Join the Pact, Johnnie
Walker continues to encourage consumers around the world to
commit to not drive drunk, and now with 'Decisions' aims to
continually raise awareness for the cause. These days, it's
easy for us to be desensitized to certain issues unless we live
them out firsthand. Our hope is that this will be truly jarring for
people and will help inform responsible decision-making while
enlisting their advocacy in the ongoing fight against repeat,
hardcore drunk drivers."
The VR program is being spearheaded by Diageo's Digital and
Culture & Partnerships teams, who have engaged partners such as
Facebook, YouTube and The New York
Times to help drive support and distribution for this
project. Joining Diageo behind the scenes is digital agency
VaynerMedia, who is helping the company with the creative vision,
production, development and distribution.
Consumer interest in VR continues to grow rapidly, with the
number of active users set to reach 171 million by 2018***. Diageo
is making a long-term commitment to the technology and over time
will develop additional user experiences that will address the many
issues around decision-making when you're drinking. Recognized
globally for setting the standard in social responsibility and
responsible marketing, this is the latest pacesetting initiative
from Diageo to remind adults to drink sensibly. Whether it's
pioneering "Safe Rides Home" designated driver activations or
leveraging apps such as Uber to remind consumers there are
alternatives to getting home if they've been drinking, Diageo is
continually looking for new and inventive ways to reach consumers
via emerging platforms and technologies.
The release of "Decisions" comes on the heels of Diageo's
recently announced two-year partnership agreement with the United
Nations Institute for Training and Research, entitled "Road Safety
Initiative for Cities," which involves a collaboration to build
institutional and individual capacity to reduce traffic deaths and
injuries, and to improve road safety globally. Training runs in 15
countries across Africa,
Asia, Latin and Central America, with a focus on countries
with the highest death rates related to road traffic accidents.
More than 60 countries have been invited to participate. The
training activities will reach approximately 6,000 participants who
will be a mix of government officials, young people, and other
relevant stakeholders, through training workshops for government
officials at the national and local levels, awareness-raising road
shows for young people and high-level conferences on the issue.
Consumers of legal drinking age can access "Decisions" through
Facebook 360, YouTube 360 and NYT VR. It is also compatible with
all VR headsets, including Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and Google
Daydream.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an
outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and
Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain
Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio,
Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and
the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more
than 180 countries around the world. For more information about
Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at
www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking
resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways
to share best practice.
Follow us on Twitter for news and information about Diageo North
America: @Diageo_NA.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
*Drunk driving fatalities have decreased 53% since 1982.
Source: 2014 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 2015.
**National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, 2015
***(Statista, "Statistics and facts about Virtual Reality (VR)",
4/6/16)
Media Contact: Dave Finn,
212-714-5792, dfinn@taylorstrategy.com
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