AB InBev's Ambev Transforms Part of Truck Fleet Into Drunk Driving Awareness Campaign

As part of its road safety program, AB InBev has changed the design of tractor units of its distribution trucks to promote the message: “where there is a driver, there can’t be alcohol." Full details are below.

SAO PAULO — Brazil is a continental country where numerous people die in road traffic incidents every day. Many awareness campaigns are created, but few to none are able to cover areas far from large centers, where most accidents happen.

In light of this, Ambev, the Brazilian brewing company of Anheuser-Busch InBev, took action and transformed its distribution fleet – one of the largest in the country – into media, starting an initiative able to travel for miles and reach far more distant areas than usual.

The “Responsible Billboards” campaign, created by Agencia Africa, converted part of the truck fleet that carries the company’s alcoholic brand beverages across the country. While the semi-trailer portion containing Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois brand products remained the same, the truck cabins where the driver sits were covered with images of the company’s non-alcoholic drinks, such as Pepsi, Gatorade and Lipton, along with a very clear and fundamental message to save lives: “where there is a driver there can’t be alcohol”.  

The visuals tell the story, directly linking the driver with non-alcoholic beverages. The campaign serves as a constant reminder of the importance of being responsible while driving and never, under any circumstance, mixing drinking and driving.

Brazil and Ambev already have a long history in road safety programs, with 8 years of projects in cooperation with Sao Paulo state, Federal District and Federal governments. The company contributed to data management, new systems and prevented more than 1600 deaths. The initiatives were consolidated as a Toolkit by UNITAR - United Nations Institute for Training and Research - for safer routes, which has been exported to several countries. 

The trucks covered in stickers have travelled all main roads across the country, bringing the company’s products to its destinations with a simple and direct message. In order to keep reinforcing the campaign, Ambev has been gradually increasing the number of transformed trucks in its fleet.

"Responsible Billboards is in line with Ambev's long-term commitment to promote responsible consumption. Our initiatives range from awareness campaigns to in-depth solutions to try to mitigate impacts. We do this through campaigns, but also projects like “Consumption X-Ray”, a screening questionnaire that reveals someone's consumption profile, and the “Road Safety” project, which works together with public, private and civil society sectors for the reduction of risks related to road safety", says Alexandre Costa, Marketing Director at AMBEV.