Making Responsibility Cool (Like it Always Has Been)
Alcohol Responsibility Month 2024: Good Friends, Good Choices, Good Times
“I really just try to make sure that people know that responsibility can be fun.” - Leslie Kimball, Executive Director, Responsibility.org.
April’s known for a few things: playful pranks, rainy weather, chocolate bunnies, and, most importantly, responsibility. For years, April led the charge for Alcohol Awareness Month, but in the last decade, the tides have shifted.
There’s no doubt that awareness is important. It’s the first critical step in educating people on the dangers of drunk driving and underage drinking - but in the era of advocacy, Responsibilty.org made a strategic shift to a more assertive approach.
Enter: Alcohol Responsibility Month.
This approach shines a light on advocacy and empowerment, showing people how much fun safe, responsible drinking can be if and when an adult chooses to drink (some people shouldn’t).
So let’s celebrate Good Friends, Good Choices, Good Times, and Good Design by diving into Actual Size’s role in defining and amplifying the initiative’s message.
Good Friends
Responsibility.org, previously known as the Foundation of Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, leads the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking. But this isn’t your grandma’s alcohol safety course - we’re here to have fun, responsibly.
Responsibility.org promotes responsible decision-making, equipping people with the tools they need to enjoy a celebratory drink, date night, or concert without endangering themselves or others - and they invited us to the party.
When happy hours turn into nights on the town, you need Good Friends to help you make Good Choices. When Responsibility.org was ready to give Alcohol Responsibility Month a fresh new look in 2024, Actual Size looked to their 18-year relationship to amplify the message via a renewed creative strategy. Now, through ongoing digital and print campaigns, Alcohol Responsibility Month’s message is positioned to reach beyond the initiative's end date.
Good Choices
Making responsible decisions means holding yourself accountable, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Whether you’re calling a ride share or texting a friend for a favor, having a plan is essential - so we made an app for that.
The Virtual Bar app was created with ease of use and accessibility in mind. The Blood Alcohol Calculator (BAC) app uses the latest science to help people understand how different factors like weight, gender, food, and alcohol intake affect them. It goes beyond facts and figures to describe how people are actually feeling.
Actual Size designed and developed the interactive mobile app, injecting energy and playfulness into the e-learning tool. Of course, we didn’t stop there. While responsible decision-making isn’t a seasonal trend, Alcohol Responsibility Month gave Responsibility.org even more space to celebrate.
Good Times
Drunk driving fatalities have declined 36% since Responsibility.org was founded in 1991. Currently, 87% of Americans self-report responsible drinking behavior - and younger generations are driving this charge. Gen Z and Millennials are becoming more “deliberate drinkers” and are intentionally mindful of their consumption. Alcohol101+, another e-learning solution conceptualized by Responsibility.org and deployed by Actual Size, taps into this demo.
The program teaches college students everything from BAC basics and standard pours to responsible decision-making and the effect of alcohol on the body. The customizable, easily integrated courses were so popular, Responsibility.org decided to spread the love.
As the name would suggest, Responsibility Works. The new training tool takes the creative technology Alcohol101+ offers and applies it to the workplace. Actual Size developed Responsibility Works with usability and efficiency in mind, adopting critical security and authentication requirements, ensuring that everyone has a good time in and out of the office.
Great Design
Like Responsibility.org, Actual Size possesses far-reaching capabilities. Strategic design and creative communication underscore everything we do - just take a look at the coasters made to supplement Responsibility Works’ promo and education.
The more folks that sort of embrace responsibility and act like leaders when they’re making responsible choices, the better the world is going to be.
“The more folks that sort of embrace responsibility and act like leaders when they’re making responsible choices, the better the world is going to be,” Leslie says as she participates in Responsibility.org’s #StartsWithMe initiative.
So let’s raise a glass to increased name recognition and cheers to a new challenge! Our team of thinkers, doers, and responsible drinkers is riding the sails of this month’s initiative to extend Alcohol Responsibility Month’s impact beyond April and into the months ahead.
