CCE to Reward Designated Drivers this Christmas

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Coca-Cola Great Britain (CCGB) and Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) are pleased to announce the launch of the Designated Driver campaign for Christmas 2010, which will run from the 9th December 2010 to 2nd January 2011.

Over 8,000 pubs will take part in this year's campaign, offering Designated Drivers across the country 'Buy One, Get One Free' Coca-Cola or diet Coke. Licensees will be provided with all-new free POS kits containing posters, table mats, cubes, badges, Santa hats and outdoor banners to create maximum awareness of the campaign, reminding customers to select a Designated Driver.

Dave McNulty, Trading Director On-Premise at CCE, commented:
"Coca-Cola's Designated Driver campaign is now in its third year of activation. It's a real testament to the campaign's successful track record that 97%  of last year's participating outlets said they would like to run the campaign again. A proven footfall driver , Designated Driver promotes a longer, more social stay for those not drinking alcohol and offers outlets a great opportunity to reward drivers, resulting in incremental sales  uplifts.  When questioned, 64% of consumers said they would choose to visit a venue running Designated Driver over one that wasn't and 87% also felt more positive overall about a participating venue .

"Promoting responsible drinking is incredibly important, particularly at Christmas as more people are travelling to celebrate with friends and family. This year, our aim is to work with even more of our customers to reach consumers with the Designated Driver message.  It's important to continue to reward those who take their road safety responsibilities seriously without compromising the fun they can have at Christmas."

With this year's Designated Driver scheme, CCGB and CCE continue to partner with the Department for Transport's (DfT's) Driver Friendly campaign, part of the THINK! road safety initiative.

Road Safety Minister, Mike Penning, said:

"Our Driver Friendly campaign aims to reward designated drivers by giving them exclusive offers and free soft drinks when they are out over the Christmas season.  We are very pleased that Coca-Cola is again leading the way by teaming up with us on this important initiative which will help to improve road safety at this time of year.  Our message is clear:  if you're the driver, stick to soft drinks. Don't drink and drive."

Call 0800 580580 for a free Designated Driver POS kit.

For further information please contact Frankie or Suzanne at Mercieca on 020 7485 0100 or email Frankie@mercieca.co.uk/Suzanne@mercieca.co.uk

Notes to editors

• Coca-Cola and  diet Coke are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company

About Coca-Cola Enterprises:
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. is the world's third-largest independent Coca-Cola bottler.  CCE is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

In Great Britain (GB) Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) employs around 4,500 people across England, Scotland and Wales at manufacturing sites, regional offices and depots.

CCE is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its products and operations, with a particular focus on sustainable packaging, water stewardship, and energy and climate protection.

CCE makes, sells and delivers the following products in GB for The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC): Coca-Cola, diet Coke, Coke Zero, Fanta, Dr Pepper, Sprite, Schweppes, Schweppes Abbey Well, glacéau, Relentless, Powerade, Oasis and 5 Alive.  CCE in GB also makes, sells or delivers Monster, Appletiser, Ocean Spray and Capri-Sun on behalf of other brand owners.

CCE has the largest share of soft drinks in the UK  with on-going brand and product innovation continuing to reinforce this position of leadership within the category. Coca-Cola is the UK's number one selling soft drink  and remains one of the most innovative brands in the world today.

About the DfT THINK! Drink Drive campaign and Driver Friendly initiative:

The number of people killed in drink drive accidents has been reduced by over three-quarters since 1979 thanks to more than 30 years of Government education campaigns and measures to improve enforcement. However, drink driving is still a problem and last year 380 people lost their lives in drink drive accidents on Britain's road.

The Department for Transport's Drink Drive campaign has had a long-standing and well supported partnership with the on-trade and soft drinks industry.  In December 2009, this was developed into the 'Driver Friendly' campaign which aims to support the designated driver through the provision of promotional offers and 'rewards', linked to the purchase of soft drinks, on their night out. Ultimately, the aim is that Driver Friendly will become a symbol of support for the driver in pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the country. Coca-Cola GB is leading the way for Christmas 2010, and their Designated Driver promotion is part of a planned ongoing programme of Driver Friendly promotions.