USA: Anheuser-Busch in a responsible drinking campaign

Anheuser-Busch Cos. has recently announced it has enlisted hip-hop performer and St. Louis native Nelly to encourage parents to talk to their children about underage drinking. It’s the latest addition to the brewer’s longstanding responsible drinking campaign.

The television advertising spot begins with Nelly telling the audience that they might not have recognized him, so he was going to give them a clue. He then plays a few humorous roles, such as a harried celebrity chef, before revealing his true identity.

"My fans know who I am; I’m Nelly," he says. "Your kids are your biggest fans, so talk with them about underage drinking."

The ad, created by DDB Chicago, starts running Wednesday night.

This is the third television spot that Anheuser-Busch has produced this year to promote responsible drinking. The other two featured comedian Cedric the Entertainer and Anheuser-Busch Chairman August A. Busch III.

The use of celebrities like Nelly is necessary to cut through all the other ads consumers are watching, said John Kaestner, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of consumer affairs.

"Hopefully, the message will be memorable," he said.

Anheuser-Busch has been running television ads for the past 20 years that discourage underage drinking and drunk driving. The brewer’s "Know When to Say When" spots were the first network TV responsible drinking ads by any company in the alcohol industry.

Underage drinking has been on the decline for decades, though it remains a serious problem.

In 2003, 45 percent of high-school students polled nationally reported having consumed one or more drinks in the previous month, as compared to 50 percent in 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism last year also found underage drinking has fallen since hitting a peak in the late 1970s, but the level appears to have stabilized at a relatively high level since the early 1990s.

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