General Industry

The 10th Annual Coca-Cola Designated Driver Campaign Launched

By Publications Checkout
The 10th Annual Coca-Cola Designated Driver Campaign Launched

On 28 November Coca-Cola Hellenic Ireland began running the tenth annual award-winning Designated Driver campaign in more than 1,200 licensed trade premises across Ireland.

The company has invested €6 million in the award-winning campaign over the past decade to help promote road safety during the Christmas period.

By working closely with the licensed trade, Coca-Cola offers designated drivers the opportunity to avail of free bottled water, juice and soft drinks.

Over the last decade, the campaign has been fully supported by the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, the Licensed Vintners' Association and the Irish Hotels' Federation, as well as an Garda Síochána, and the Road Safety Authority.

The Coca-Cola Designated Driver campaign, a concept created by Irish employees of the global drinks company, was launched in Ireland ten years ago this month against a backdrop of rising concern about the number of alcohol-related fatalities on Irish roads. The initiative, which originally started as a pilot, has grown to become a high-profile annual campaign, and has been availed of by thousands of designated drivers who transport their friends to and from the pub during the festive season.

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Speaking at the launch of the 2014 Designated Driver programme, which went live in 1,200 participating premises on Friday 28 November, Coca-Cola Hellenic Ireland CEO Frank O’Donnell said: “As a leading soft drinks supplier in Ireland, we are proud to have worked with our customers in the licensed trade over the last ten years on the Designated Driver campaign. We hope that our annual campaign helps to both raise awareness of road safety while also giving people a real and free alternative when sitting in the pub with friends.”

Giving the campaign his full endorsement is Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Pascal Donohue T.D. who attended the launch of this year’s campaign in Dublin, stated: “Christmas is traditionally a time where people get together to celebrate and have fun. The offer of free soft drinks is a fitting way to thank our designated drivers for the part they play in ensuring our roads remain safe over the holiday period.”

A full list of participating outlets across the Republic of Ireland that have signed up to offer the free beverages to their customers this Christmas is available at www.designateddriver.ie. The offer will be available to designated drivers in participating premises until 1 January 2015.

Safety-conscious consumers who assume the role of designated driver on a night out will be rewarded with up to three non-alcoholic drinks courtesy of Coca-Cola, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Fanta Orange, Fanta Lemon, Fruice, and Deep RiverRock (both still and sparkling).

A designated driver is defined as someone who drives friends and family home from a night out socialising, while abstaining from alcohol for the evening. He/she may avail of free non-alcoholic beverages from the Coca-Cola range over the course of the evening in participating licensed premises.

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Pictured at the launch of the 2014 Designated Driver campaign are (from left to right) Frank O'Donnell CEO of Coca-Cola Hellenic Ireland, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Pascal Donohue, Tim Fenn, CEO of the Irish Hotels' Federation; and John Nealon, Chairman, LVA