Department of Health launches first ad in 6m ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign

The Department of Health is today (May 19) launching the first phase of its £6m campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking. The “Know Your Limits” campaign will initially focus on educating consumers about how many units are in their drinks and healthy consumption rates.

It is the Government’s biggest alcohol awareness campaign and will also target over 35 year olds, who are more likely to drink wine at home in the evening and may not realise how much they are drinking.

The campaign has been created by Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest and will run across TV, outdoor, press, radio and online. It will be followed by a £4m campaign out of the Home Office in June that will focus on the problem of binge drinking.

The launch of the campaign follows research released by YouGov that reveals people do not know exactly how much they are drinking. More than 82% claim to know what a unit of alcohol is, yet 77% do not know how many units are in a typical large glass of wine.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo says: “Glass sizes have grown larger and the strength of many wines and beers has increased, so it’s no wonder some of us have lost track of our alcohol consumption.

“This campaign is all about helping people understand how many units are in their favourite drinks, and helping them to keep an eye on their intake for the good of their long-term health.”

Manning Gottlieb OMD has handled the media planning, with the COI responsible for buying; digital is run by COI’s Channel Integration Management team and i-level, with website design by LIDA; and direct marketing is by Clark McKay Walpole.