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Budweiser Expands 'Give A Damn' Safe Rides Campaign

  • Saturday, September 23, 2017, 10:20 am
  • ACROFAN=Yong-Man Kwon
  • yongman.kwon@acrofan.com
Budweiser announced the bold next step in its Give A Damn campaign, together with safe ride partner Lyft. Given the success of last year's pilot program — during which Budweiser delivered more than 35,000 rides home across six states plus Washington, D.C. — the brand will expand the 2017 campaign to offer 150,000 round-trip rides across nine states plus Washington, D.C. to help people get to and from their nights out.

The largest-ever safe rides effort from a beer company, Give A Damn aims to make a strong statement against drunk driving and celebrate people who embrace Budweiser's responsible drinking message: "Give A Damn. Don't Drive Drunk." Throughout the 15-week campaign, Budweiser and Lyft will offer 10,000 round-trip rides every weekend and on select holidays, when people need them most.

"We are proud to continue our partnership with Lyft to implement evidence-based solutions that can have a real impact on reducing drunk driving," said Katja Zastrow, vice president, Corporate Social Responsibility & Better World, Anheuser-Busch. "Making it home safe at the end of the night starts with getting a ride at the beginning of the night, so we want to encourage people to plan ahead."

Beginning Thursday, Sept. 21, through the end of the year, Budweiser will provide up to 10,000 round-trip rides every weekend across nine states: New York, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Texas, Georgia; plus Washington, D.C. Budweiser will share a unique ride code on its Facebook and Instagram channels each Thursday at 2 p.m. ET, which new and existing Lyft users over the age of 21 can use to claim a $20 ride credit (two $10 one-way rides) through the Lyft app. The credits can be redeemed for rides taken between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time that Thursday, Friday or Saturday night.

"We are thrilled to work with Budweiser, a brand that shares our commitment to helping people drink responsibly and get home safe," said Melissa Waters, vice president of marketing, Lyft. "This partnership encourages passengers to make the right choice about how they get home and celebrates the drivers who make it possible."

To further promote the campaign's responsible drinking message, Budweiser has released a new video spot, titled "Give A Damn," to celebrate its partnership with Lyft and recognize the people who plan ahead to get safely to and from their night out. This ad will live on Budweiser's social media channels through the end of the year.