- Global Be(er) Responsible Drinking Campaign to kick off on September 19, globally, on the same day other countries -
- Family Talk program to be introduced for the first time in Korea as part of a preventive program for young adolescents who are underage -
Sept. 18, 2014--OBC is embarking on a global responsible drinking campaign in conjunction with AB InBev.
On Sept. 19, 2014 OBC announced the start of ‘Family Talk’ Campaign, which is designed to promote healthy drinking cultures through dialog between parents and children, as part of the ‘Global Beer Responsible Day (GBRD)’ begun by AB InBev.
GBRD is a day dedicated to promoting the importance of responsible drinking among AB InBev’s employees, retail customers and consumers. This annual company-wide celebration includes a variety of employee-led community and trade activities, which demonstrates AB InBev’s evolved dream - to be the “Best Beer Company Bringing People Together For a Better World”.
“As the world’s leading brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s first responsibility is to encourage the responsible enjoyment of our products. Our colleagues promote responsible drinking each day, but on Global Be(er) Responsible Day we are reminded that our collective efforts are helping to make a global impact. We will work with our partners and customers to promote responsible attitudes toward alcohol sales and consumption, and to address challenges, such as underage drinking. ” said Carlos Brito, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev.
To prevent underage drinking, ‘Family Talk’ is a signature program that have been initiated by AB InBev to encourage effective dialog between parents and children in an effort to help solve underage drinking problems.
In order to help enhance the accurate understanding of ‘Family Talk,’ OBC invited Professor Kim Changwok, an expert on people communication and dialog, to the kick-off event of the GBRD Campaign that will be held at OBC’s Gangnam office. He will deliver a lecture about the effective methods of holding family conversations to the responsible drinking volunteer team members.
Furthermore, OBC plans to distribute a ‘Family Talk Guide Book,’ which coaches parents on effective ways of having conversations with their children, and will also conduct street campaigns to help prevent underage drinking under the slogan of “responsible drinking habits start with parents.” The guide book easily describes effective ways to have conversations with children such as “three steps to become a good listener”, “4 rules to having a talk with children”, and “conversation methods according to age.” In particular, the guide book helps the parent to learn appropriate ways of having conversations with children about drinking problems and helps guide them to make a wise judgment. Parents are coached to ask open questions like “What do you think about adolescents drinking problems?” or “what are your interests these days?” and are encouraged to listen to their children instead of asking implied questions like “Are you going to drink with your friends?” or “I know what you do in your age.”
OBC will also conduct a street campaign around Gangnam Station during evening rush hour as there are large numbers of floating population. About 100 volunteers of the responsible drinking volunteer team will participate in this campaign to distribute the Family Talk guide book and hold up placards and signs with “Responsible drinking habits, No drink-driving” to spread a healthy drinking cultures to passersby. These volunteers will also visit nearby convenience stores and restaurants that sell alcohol and promote the ‘Show ID campaign,’ a campaign asking store owners to check for IDs before selling alcohols to young consumers.
An OBC official said, “The purpose of the ‘Family Talk’ program is to help prevent underage drinking through dialog between parents and children as it can result in serious social issues such as decline in academic abilities and also lead to deviant behaviors,” and added that, “OBC will introduce to Korea various preventive programs that have been proven to be effective in other countries, thus taking the initiative in instilling a healthy drinking culture.
* * *
▶ About AB Inbev’s Global Beer Responsible Day (GBRD)
AB Inbev, the No. 1 worldwide beer company, selected the third Friday of September every year since 2010 as GBRD to promote the prevention of underage drinking and the creation of a responsible drinking culture, and conducted an education session on healthy drinking culture among consumers and wholesalers and stores selling alcohol. They also conducted a ‘Family Talk’ campaign, which promotes conversations between parents and children to prevent underage drinking, and activities such as writing a pledge among stores selling alcohol to promote a responsible drinking culture.