By Kevin O'Laughlin
ABL President The American Beverage Licensees (ABL) has just concluded a productive summer board meeting and from the look of things, it is going to be an exciting fall.
I had a chance to sit in with all of the committees and see first hand how focused our board members are on the tasks at hand and was reminded that they know what it will take to grow ABL.
One program that the board endorsed has me particularly excited as I think it will be a means of taking the branding of ABL to the next level, while also firing a salvo in the battle to promote socially normative behavior in a world in which responsible adults are increasingly under fire.
The actions of the Communications Committee at our June ABL board meeting finalized the organization and implementation plans of the "Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly." program. The committee should be commended for its work that addressed the program' meaning and goals, while offering affiliates options when it comes to implementing the program.
With the assistance of the ABL office and Berman & Co., the program is ready to roll. Now the message will be placed in the hands of ABL affiliates and ABL' nearly 20,000 members.
The "Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly." message we are sending is important. ABL members are clearly saying that they strive to sell and serve alcohol responsibly every day, and they are asking the consumer to be responsible in the decision they make to drive after drinking. Responsibility is the key to the problem and it takes everyone involved to be successful.
So what can you and your state associations do? As it turns out, as much, or as little, as you can comfortably handle.
It is my hope that at the very least, all ABL affiliates will adopt the "Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly." logo and use it on all mailings, envelopes, letterhead, websites, and emails. The more we are able to use this message, the more the public will accept this responsibility message.
This really is an exercise in Branding 101. We need a concerted grassroots effort to grow recognition of this message and associate it not only with responsible use of alcohol beverages, but also with ABL. From there it is up to you.
The use of the message on menus, signs, employee shirts, to-go bags, coasters and napkins are all the next logical steps. Our main goal now is to have everyone use the message in some capacity.
Holidays are an important time to use this responsibility message, as it has been documented that there are spikes in drunk driving tragedies during those times. In fact, last year the local chapter of my association secured the endorsement of our mayor and successfully ran a free public relations commercial that was well received and furthered the normalization of the "Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly." message.
The use of a TV commercial or a radio commercial is another portion of the program that is available to any and all members. Please contact John Bodnovich in the ABL national office if you would like to obtain these.
The most important thing that the "Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly." campaign provides is the underlying acknowledgment that we can run our businesses responsibly and successfully--as opposed to zero tolerance campaigns such as "You Drink. You Drive. You Lose" and "Don't Drink & Drive." Our message instead reminds all parties involved to be responsible.
I strongly encourage every ABL member to take action on this issue at his or her next meetings. Adopt its use, and then implement at a level that makes sense for your association. The more "Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly." is used, the more accepted it will become.