Middle TN gets new anti-DUI campaign for Spanish-speaking men

Partnership between MADD, Governor’s Highway Safety Office, and Conexión Américas

Story-based ads appeal to identity as provider

MADD held a press conference last Friday to announce a new campaign to educate Spanish-speaking men in Middle Tennessee about the dangers of drunk driving. Funded by federal money administered through a grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Office ("GHSO"), the campaign furthers the GHSO's bottom-line goal of saving lives by closing a gap in messaging, according to Kendell Poole, GHSO Director.

Some materials for the new initiative are borrowed from a similar effort by El Pueblo of North Carolina, which has images of the print ads on its web site here.

The press release is as follows:

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2008 Spanish Language Drunk driving prevention campaign funded by the Governor's Highway Safety Office and conducted with the aid of Conexión Américas. The slogan for this campaign is:

¿Manejar Borracho? !No seas tonto Muchacho!

Roughly translated this means, "Drive Drunk? Don’t be crazy man!" The campaign is geared toward providing Spanish language, culturally relevant education about the dangers and consequences of driving drunk with a goal of preventing drunk driving in the Hispanic community. The campaign will include television, radio and newspaper public service announcements along with educational booklets, posters, and key chains.

As our population of Spanish-speaking individuals grows throughout our state, we must provide education and awareness programming that addresses the seriousness of driving drunk. The goal of this campaign is to reduce the incidence of drunk driving in the Hispanic community throughout Middle Tennessee.

MADD and Conexion Americas conducted a smaller campaign in Middle Tennessee during the holiday season of 2006 (story here).