Leading global beverage brands came together at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity earlier this week to discuss the role that marketing and brand-building plays in responsible drinking and moderation.
In a panel organised by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), global brand leaders Pernod Ricard and Heineken explained how they’re using purpose-led campaigns and responsible marketing to deliver trust, relevance and measurable business results.
Luana Iurillo, Director of Strategy, Portfolio & Innovation at Pernod Ricard, took a deep dive into the business’s new moderation narrative. At a time when consumers expect greater purpose from brands, Iurillo says this cultural change promotes balance and moderation as an aspirational choice.
“Purpose-led marketing is evolving – when it is backed by meaningful action and creative energy, it becomes a force for real change. It builds trust, drives relevance, and shows that doing good and growing your brand can go hand in hand,” she stated.
An example she used was Malibu’s Don’t Drink and Dive campaign launched in partnership with Olympic diver Tom Daley and the Royal Life Saving Society UK. With one-in-four water drownings involving alcohol, the initiative raises awareness of the risks of drinking and entering water, reaching 1.1 billion people and resulting in a 29 per cent increase in water-safety intentions among viewers.
Speaking about Heineken’s partnership with F1 The Movie, Global Head of the Heineken brand Nabil Nasser highlighted the powerful role of collaboration to drive the message of moderation.
Ahead of the F1 The Movie’s global release on 25 June, Heineken 0.0 has launched a new campaign featuring the film’s own actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, designed to challenge the stigma around alcohol and socialising and offer a fresh take on moderation.
“We are taking the conversation around moderation into a space that is global, influential, and culturally engaging,” Nasser stated.
“Our partnerships are not just about visibility – they are about making responsibility, moderation and alcohol-free choices feel natural, accepted, and aspirational in the moments that matter, especially in social settings.
“As leaders in the 0.0 category, we are committed to redefining what it means to choose moderation today.”
IARD’s CEO Julian Braithwaite also joined the conversation, highlighting a 98.2 per cent compliance rate with IARD’s digital safeguards in 2024 as a result of its collaborative work with Google, Meta and TikTok to set higher standards for online marketing.
“Raising standards is not just good business – it helps deliver global health outcomes. With a 20 per cent drop in alcohol-related deaths and over a billion product labels carrying age-restriction messages, we are showing that responsibility marketing delivers real impact – and that when brands lead with purpose, everyone wins.”