Cerveza Aguila Uses an ‘Abuse Disclaimer’ to Tackle Gender Violence

There is a law in Colombia that warns of the potential dangers of alcohol consumption. Every advertisement that features an alcoholic drink must have the disclaimer: “Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health.”

On International Women’s Day, Cerveza Aguila, the most valued beer brand in Colombia, decided to deliver a forceful statement against gender violence. The disclaimer included in all of its ads aired both on radio and TV during March were read out by real victims of gender violence who also told their stories.

In one week, the campaign was picked up by the biggest newspapers and radio stations in Colombia, such as El Tiempo, El Espectador, Caracol Radio and La W resulting more than two million impressions. 

The campaign also sparked conversation on social media – primarily on Twitter – where big local influencers such as the most prominent cartoonist in the country, ‘Vladdo’, and his famous character, ‘Aleida’, shared the video reaching around 10 million people and generating more than 16 million impressions.

“Abuse disclaimers has a very clear purpose: to state the brand’s position against excessive consumption but in a very different way. We really wanted to deliver a message inviting to all those people that drink our beer, to do it in a responsible way,”said Miguel Merino, Aguila’s brand director.

According to recent studies conducted by the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection, 12.2% of Colombian people are at risk of alcoholism, but excessive consumption is 30% higher in males. There is scientific evidence that the excessive consumption of alcohol is harmful not only for physical and mental health – it also carries issues related to safety, communal living, and family environments.

That’s why women have become the most affected group in Colombia, as most of the violence committed against them is committed by men in a drunken state. 

“We wanted to find real cases; women that wanted to raise their voice through this initiative. When we started to search for them, we realized that those cases were closer than we thought. Some women working with the brand told us that they were victims themselves. As the biggest brewer in Colombia, Bavaria reinforces its responsibility with conscious consumption through tangible actions among our customers and all the Colombian people,”said Merino.

"Abuse Disclaimers is not only a great use of the media but also a great example of a brand taking a strong position because they understand their context and know they have to be at the forefront of creating awareness for moderate consumption. But also, it's more powerful when the example comes from the most valuable brand in Colombian and also one of the largest beer brands in Latin America," said Juan Pablo García, COO at MullenLowe SSP3.