JOHNNIE WALKER® Serves Up Clear Statement on Responsible Drinking Through New Glass Car Film

SAO PAULO, Nov. 22, 2013 /CNW/ - If you need to be reminded about the fragility of human life, just watch a Formula 1 race car made entirely of JOHNNIE WALKER whisky glasses shattering into a million pieces, says Carolyn Panzer, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Diageo, makers of the world's No. 1 Blended Scotch Whisky.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131122/654067 )

Video: http://www.jointhepact.com/theglasscar

The Glass Car is a new flagship film launched today for Join The Pact, a global campaign to gather one million commitments to never drink and drive. Inspired by the fragility of glass, the 90-second film imagines a race car made of 1,750 glasses. Beautiful and powerful, yet so easily shattered, the glass car symbolises the importance of always making the right choices and staying in control.

"Our partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is an amazingly powerful platform for talking about responsible drinking," says Panzer. "Ahead of this weekend's FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO PETROBRAS DO BRASIL GRAND PRIX, we're releasing The Glass Car to remind consumers that, in life as in racing, control is everything."

Join The Pact aims to gather an additional million pledges never to drink and drive by inviting consumers around the world to use the hashtag #ImNOTdriving on social media. In return, JOHNNIE WALKER is pledging to give away one million kilometers of safe rides home.

The Glass Car features two-time world drivers' champion Mika Häkkinen - a JOHNNIE WALKER Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador - who says: "Staying in control is what matters in racing. Split second decisions are the difference between finishing first and finishing last - or not finishing at all. The Glass Car is a powerful reminder of how easily our dreams can be shattered - watch it, share it and sign the pact never to drink and drive."

Set in a painstakingly created computer reproduction of the McLaren Technology Centre - accurate to just 3mm - the beautiful film features a stunning CGI model of a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 car and a breathtaking crash scene at 300 frames per second that took over a week to render and produced over 100 gigabytes of data in itself. To view The Glass Car go to http://www.jointhepact.com/theglasscar.

Gavin Pike, Global Brand Director of JOHNNIE WALKER, says: "JOHNNIE WALKER has placed responsible drinking at the heart of its eight-year partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.  As a result of that partnership more than one million consumers around the world have already signed a pledge never to drink and drive and nine weeks ago in Singapore we launched the new campaign to gather a further one million pledges through #ImNOTdriving by giving away free rides home across the globe.

"The reaction from consumers has been hugely encouraging and so far we have already delivered over 10,000 kilometers of free rides home. The Formula 1 season is reaching its climax at a time when millions are preparing for the festive seasons in many parts of the globe - it's the right moment to use this highly impactful film to reinforce the vital message about never drinking and driving."

Pike adds: "JOHNNIE WALKER is dedicated to personal progress, it is what the brand personifies, and we believe that responsible drinking is part of that progress. This latest film is an extremely powerful addition to a global campaign that uses our partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to demonstrate our commitment to world-class standards in responsible marketing."

Notes to Editors:

Join the Pact and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

JOHNNIE WALKER has placed responsible drinking at the heart of its eight-year partnership with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Team. Through its pioneering sponsorship, and with Mika Häkkinen as the Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador alongside Sergio Perez and Jenson Button, JOHNNIE WALKER tackles these issues directly through the Join the Pact campaign.

Join the Pact asks consumers everywhere to make a commitment to never drink and drive through signing a pact. Since 2006 Mika and the McLaren F1 drivers has led this call-to-action initiative, which have been activated worldwide, collecting a million signatures.

Mika has visited over 30 countries on four continents, spoken to countless media, government officials, stakeholders and consumers delivering important messages through unique JOHNNIE WALKER experiences.

At the 2013 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, JOHNNIE WALKER revealed the next stage for Join the Pact, an ambition to gather a further one million global commitments to never drink and drive via the unique hashtag #ImNOTdriving. To honour the one million commitments, JOHNNIE WALKER will give away one million kilometers of safe rides home across the globe.

About Diageo

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people and its brands, visit http://www.diageo.com. For Diageo's global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit http://www.DRINKiQ.com.

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The JOHNNIE WALKER words, the Striding Figure device and associated logos are trademarks © John Walker & Sons 2013.

Please Drink Responsibly.

SOURCE: Diageo

Alan Watson, Smarts Communicate, E. [email protected], T. [phone]; Gillian Cook, DIAGEO, E: [email protected], T: [phone]