Cart Crash: Geometry Romania Highlights Perils of Drink Driving
Romanians, it’s fair to say, enjoy a beer. The country recently came tenth in a survey of the world’s biggest beer drinkers, with a whopping 92.1 litres per capita.
But when it comes to driving after a swift pint, that’s a real no-no as Romanian laws have a zero limit for drivers’ blood alcohol levels. Of course there will always be some who flout the law and cause accidents and fatalities by driving under the influence – in fact 20% of car crashes in the country are caused by alcohol. That’s why zero-alcohol beer brand Golden Brau 0.0% decided to highlight the risks of drink driving with an in-store activation – whilst also offering a handy alternative.
Their agency, Geometry Global, decided to target supermarket shoppers rather than clubbers because beer is just as popular at house parties and social events, like barbecues, as it is on nights out. They created an in-store installation at a large hypermarket in Bucharest – recreating car crashes with smashed up shopping trolleys. It proved to be a simple and pretty cost effective stunt, but one that caught shoppers’ attention and made hosts consider their responsibility to provide guests with an alternative to alcohol. LBB’s Laura Swinton caught up with Geometry Global Bucharest creative director Mihai Fetcu to find out more.
LBB> What was the brief from the client?
MF> First of all, let's start with a bit of context. Beer is very popular in Romania. We like to drink beer when going out, at home, pretty much on every occasion. And this is good for Golden Brau, since it is a well-established brand. But this can easily backfire in a country with lots of car accidents caused by drinking and driving – and here comes the 'extension' of the brand, Golden Brau 0.0% Alcohol. Its main mission is to educate and increase responsibility by 'activating' its consumers in a very sharp way, close to their drinking occasions, in what we call 'The Pivotal Moment'.
LBB> Why did you decide to target supermarket shoppers rather than people on a night out?
MF> One of the most common drinking occasions is when people get together at home to watch a football game, for a barbecue, or something else like that. This is what the mainstream target audience of this beer does on a regular basis. And since in-store is the main channel for 0.0%, we thought our message would have more impact here.
LBB> How did you come up with idea of staging shopping cart crashes?
MF> I’ve always thought that a smart and non-intrusive solution will make people react more positively than scaring them with what we usually see in these kind of campaigns. That was the main theme of the brainstorming. And we ended up with this strong metaphor. It just happened.
LBB> How did you produce and manufacture the installations?
MF> We crashed the shopping carts trying to replicate the most common car accidents. We smashed them against poles and other carts, so they would look very realistic. Then we realised some of them were already crashed, and we just added our message.
LBB> What was the public response to the activation?
MF> People loved the idea because it made them think. But more importantly, it was very efficient as it reminded them to add the non-alcoholic beer to their carts, at the right moment.
LBB> You've said that you think the installations will be pretty easy for retailers to replicate – do you hope that other people/businesses/organisations will join in? If so, how are you encouraging them to get involved?
MF> Here's just a point of view on this: I imagine there are lots of already damaged shopping carts that each year retailers have to exchange to new ones. Wouldn't it be cheaper if they get a second life fighting for this cause?
