Famous Beers Scrambled Their Logos in Sneaky Drunk-Driving Campaign

Changing the logo on product packaging always gets a strong reaction from consumers. This clever campaign from Brazil did so for a good reason. 

To talk about the disorienting effects of drinking, and to urge people not to drink and drive, SunsetDDB had the idea of scrambling the letters in the logos of various Ambev beer brands like Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona. (Ambev is the Brazilian affiliate of Anheuser-Busch InBev.) 

They printed the modified logos in print, digital and outdoor ads, on stadium signage during a major soccer match, and on actual bottles in bars—then waited to see the reaction. Plenty of people thought it was a mistake, which of course boosted social sharing. Then, the brands revealed the purpose of the campaign. 

“We want to invite people who drink beer to reflect: Just as we think the logos are in order at first, and then realize that they are not, there are times when people drink and think everything is in order to drive, when in fact it is not,” says Ambev marketing director Alexandre Costa.

“It’s natural over the years that smart drinking campaigns, like all others, need to be reinvented in order to capture attention and create real change in behavior. Therefore, we thought it was time to go one step further and use the strength of all our main brands for a single purpose—to warn that alcohol consumption should never be associated with driving.”

See examples of the print ads here: 

CREDITS

Agency: SunsetDDB, Brazil
CEO: Guto Cappio
CCO: Guilherme Jahara
Co-Presidents: Guilherme Jahara, Ligia Vulcano
Creative Director: Marcio Juniot
Creative Team: Guilherme Jahara, Marcio Juniot, Xan Arakawa, Maicon Pinheiro, Alexandre Freire, Mariana Manso
Art Assistant: Will Rodrigues
Account:Bianca Bizello, Janaina Venhasque
Media: Henrique Bragion de Oliveira, Felipe Duarte
Head of Social Media, Content and Influencers: Inaiara Florêncio
Community Managers: Gabriel Nogueira, Carol Lima, Felipe Casas, Evelyn Gonçalves
Business Intelligence: Raphael Penna
Head of Production Produção: Patricia Benetti
PR Director: Daniela Barile
Art Buyer: Alessandra Anazario
Ilustrator: Marlos Lima
Graphic Production: Carla Lustosa, Edson Harada
Cliente Approval: Ricardo Dias, Alexandre Costa, Bruno Rigonatti