KUALA LUMPUR, 4 June 2020 – Heineken Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia) today reaffirmed its commitment towards advocating responsible consumption. As a responsible and progressive brewer with a history dating back to 1965 in the country, HEINEKEN Malaysia has always been leading the effort in engaging and educating its customers and consumers on enjoying beers and ciders responsibly.
At the global level, HEINEKEN Malaysia’s parent company Heineken NV is one of the signatories of the Beer, Wine and Spirits Producers’ Commitments to Reduce Harmful Drinking along with 11 companies behind some of the world’s most popular alcohol brands. Millions of people across the world have been reached in the mission to combat harmful drinking. The Heineken® brand dedicates 10% of media spend across all operating companies that sell Heineken® to responsible drinking campaigns, including Malaysia. This investment includes the ‘When You Drive, Never Drink’ programme that provides an unprecedented opportunity to help change attitudes and behaviours and reduce drink driving around the world.
Locally, HEINEKEN Malaysia has invested RM7.3 million since 2010 on various initiatives to create awareness amongst consumers. Through its ‘Drink Sensibly’ and ‘Enjoy Responsibly’ platforms, over RM5.3 million have been invested into outreach and education campaigns through brand and corporate communications, on-ground events, as well as digital campaigns including the annual year-end festive period awareness drive. As part of these programmes, consumers are educated on the importance of moderation and are encouraged to use alternative modes of transportation including e-hailing to go home safely.
The Heineken® brand has also activated the “When You Drive, Never Drink” platform in Malaysia, investing more than RM2 million since it was launched in 2016. Leveraging on the global partnership with F1®, Heineken® has been amplifying the simple but clear message urging consumers not to drive when they have consumed any amount of alcohol. Heineken® has communicated the message through various brand communications and campaigns, making extensive use of traditional and social media and influencers to reach out to more than 15 million people.
Roland Bala, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia said, “Our message to our consumers is simple – When You Drive, Never Drink. If you are driving, having one alcoholic drink is one drink too many. As a responsible brewer, we are committed to continue supporting our retail partners on the topic of responsible serving and educating our consumers on responsible drinking. The right behaviour starts from ourselves and our employees are all aware that we have zero tolerance on the issue of drink driving.”
HEINEKEN Malaysia employees are educated on responsible consumption guidelines, and act as advocates for responsible consumption. Employees are briefed on company alcohol policy, road rules and regulations, and the dangers of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. We strongly encourage our employees to practice ‘When You Drive, Never Drink’. Non-compliance against the Company’s policies will result in disciplinary actions including dismissals.
With the aim of incentivising desired behaviour, HEINEKEN Malaysia and its portfolio of brands have partnered with e-hailing services, providing more than 21,000 promo codes and free rides to consumers to date. These codes are provided to encourage consumers to leave their car at home when attending brand events or other social events at partner restaurants and bars.
Beyond encouraging the use of e-hailing as a convenient and safe alternative to driving, HEINEKEN Malaysia also launched Heineken® 0.0, a dealcoholised beer for people who enjoy the taste of beer but not the effects of alcohol. With Heineken® 0.0, consumers have an alternative that is not only low in calories (53 calories per serve of 250ml) but also suitable for occasions throughout the day including at work, during lunch, after a work-out or before one needs to drive.
Note to Editor:
Contrary to some statements made that Malaysia ranks amongst the top ten alcohol consuming countries in the world, verifiable data published have always indicated Malaysia to be amongst the lower ranked countries in the world. Total alcohol consumption per capita by country 2016-2018 (three-year average) ranks Malaysia at 162 (see link: https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A1036 ). Further, whilst official data indicate a relatively low incidence rate of road accidents due to drink driving (see links: http://www.data.gov.my/data/ms_MY/dataset/statistik-punca-kemalangan-jalan-raya-yang-melibatkan-kecederaan/resource/61560afb-1f76-4c18-8b44-99ff40178122 and http://www.data.gov.my/data/ms_MY/dataset/statistik-punca-kemalangan-maut ), every accident is one accident too many. In this regard, HEINEKEN Malaysia remains committed towards advocating responsible consumption and once again reiterates the message: “When You Drive, Never Drink”.
