John Smith’s is hoping to generate favourable PR by launching a responsible drinking campaign around the weekend of the Grand National.
It is the Heineken-owned brand’s first attempt to run responsible drinking messages since it began sponsoring the race eight years ago.
A racing-themed outdoor poster campaign will appear in Liverpool until Saturday (April 14th), the day of the world’s greatest steeplechase.
Messages, including ‘get home straight’ and ‘too much makes the going soft’, will be targeted at routes into Aintree and at the racecourse itself.
Ads encourage people to drink plenty of water and end with the strapline, ‘drink responsibly’.
The outdoor advertising campaign is being supported with a Grand National-themed TV ad, the first time the race sponsor has played on its association in this way.
It will be shown on YouTube and on screens in the ground over the three days’ of racing leading up to the Grand National itself.
“Our message to Aintree visitors is pace yourself over what is likely be a long day and drink responsibly so neither you nor your friends miss a minute of this amazing occasion,” John Smith’s spokesman David Jones told the Liverpool Echo.