The NSLC’s anti-drinking and driving campaign (good idea) features a guy with a donkey, a guy with a wheelbarrow, and a guy with the ability to give piggyback rides (questionable idea). They’re characters that could get a drunken you home….if they existed.
Obviously, they don’t – I didn’t actually think that Donnie and his donkey would come pick me up if I called the number (1-877-592-RIDE) on the ‘get home safely’ poster. But I did think that the number might connect me to a real way home, like a cab company.
Instead, I got the characters’ voicemail (bad idea #1). And when I checked out the campaign’s elaborate website, I found fake home movies and bios for Wheelbarrow Willie and friends, and made up fares for their services (bad idea #2).
Other than a roundabout reminder not to drink and drive (and that gets buried in all the cheesy extras), the campaign doesn’t do much to get us home safely.
This article appears in Dec 7-13, 2006.
Thanks Duffman for spreading laughter wherever you go. Apparently as far as Manhattan.
I hope someone sent the Gawker link to Peter.