Anheuser-Busch Asks Adults Nationwide: “Wanna Go Home with Me Tonight?”

This Season Join the More Than 148 Million Adults Who Support Designated Drivers

ST. LOUIS (Nov. 24, 2009) – With countless holiday office parties, home celebrations and festive get-togethers at bars and restaurants, it’s always a good idea to include a designated driver as part of the party planning. 

Did you know that more than 148 million American adults have been a designated driver or have been driven home by one?¹ Planning ahead for a designated driver is the ultimate gift for family and friends this season.  So when making your list and checking it twice, Anheuser-Busch reminds adults to make a designated driver their No. 1 priority through its new campaign “Wanna Go Home with Me Tonight?  I’m the Designated Driver” launching today. 

The program encourages adults nationwide to sign up to be designated drivers at www.facebook.com/buddesignateddriver.  In addition to listing practical party tips and compelling statistics, the Facebook application makes it fun and easy to organize rides for upcoming events, by allowing adults to volunteer to be the designated driver or having the application randomly select one for the group.  The page also awards one designated driver each week with an MP3 player and case; showcases the campaign’s catchy TV and radio commercials; and recognizes designated drivers by placing special badges on their Facebook profiles.  Friends can also award each other with these badges as a thank you for being the designated driver.

“The holiday season is a wonderful occasion to spend time with cherished friends and family, and while we want adults to have a fun time celebrating, we also want them to plan ahead for a safe-ride home,” said Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at Anheuser-Busch.  “We hope this year’s designated driver campaign will capture adults’ attention and encourage them to celebrate responsibly during their festivities.”

Anheuser-Busch’s network of 600 wholesalers across the United States also will support this program.  When adults commit to being their group’s designated driver for the evening at a local bar or restaurant, they will receive a scratch-off card and be eligible to win a variety of prizes, including MP3 players, key chains, T-shirts or complimentary food and non-alcohol drinks.

And as adults are planning to host holiday parties and dinners at home, these tips for celebrating safely from the Great Party Guide are available at www.designateddriver.com:

• Offer a variety of good food with your alcohol beverages
• Provide non-alcohol beverages for the designated drivers
• Serve each guest one drink at a time
• Stop serving alcohol at least one hour before the party ends
• Send everyone home with designated drivers

The program is supported by a full advertising campaign available in English and Spanish that features the “Wanna Go Home with Me Tonight?” tagline, including national TV commercials, radio commercials and print advertising, including a full-page ad in USA Today.

Thanks to efforts such as these and increased law enforcement, our nation is making progress in the fight against drunk driving.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk-driving fatalities have declined 44 percent since 1982.

Since 1982, the company and its nationwide network of 600 wholesalers have invested more than $750 million in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to promote responsible drinking and prevent alcohol abuse.  In 2009, for the sixth year in a row, the company ranked first in the beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies.”  For more information on these efforts and the progress being made in fighting alcohol abuse, visit www.beeresponsible.com.

¹Projection based upon survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation CARAVAN® 2009.