AA creates new ‘anonymous’ ad campaign

How do you advertise something you can’t promote?

That’s the question Pete Cain, founder of The Raised Eyebrow Society, had to ask himself when approached with a brief for Alcoholics Anonymous, for its new, and first ever campaign.

Since its inception, the sobriety charity has ensured its public relations have always followed the rule of ‘attraction rather than promotion.’

This obviously puts a lot of constraint on what the organisation can and can’t say about itself in the public eye. It also limits where it can advertise and how it interacts with the media.

Now, Alcoholics Anonymous is about to run its first UK-wide advertising campaign. But by virtue of being ‘anonymous,’ the ads have no logo, no phone number, no links and mostly no mention of alcohol.

There’s also the challenge of where AA can carry out its campaign.

'Posters aren’t the best way to reach people, in truth,' Cain says. But they're one of the few media methods open to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Social media is not an option. That's because people can inadvertently out themselves or someone else by sharing and tagging one another. Of course, this would render the 'anonymous' side of things useless.

Aligning the purpose of the organisation and the way communication works presents many challenges in our modern context. '[AA] has held those rules and worked around it ever since,' says Cain.

AA carries the value of anonymity through the execution of this campaign.

Each poster has a blurred-out message, with only two A’s left visible. This helps viewers identify the ads without the presence of branding. ‘Alcohol isn’t the Answer’, ‘LeArn to live without Alcohol,’ and ‘ReAdy when you Are’ are just a few of the 30 different word-only posters.

‘It’s intended to be a visual interpretation of life through alcoholic eyes, with the two in focus A’s representing the clarity the organization can provide to help sobriety,’ explained Cain.

'We believe the target audience will understand that the two A’s in the copy refer to Alcoholics Anonymous, given the context of the messages,' their site says in a report of the new campaign.

'Long ago, it was decided that we should be Alcoholics Anonymous, not Alcoholics Invisible, and we look to carry our message of recovery to all who may need it.'

The agency set out to create a campaign that respectfully aligns with the principles and traditions of the organisation, while delivering positive messaging.

'Addiction-related campaigns are often shaming and negative,' said Cain. 'As we dug deeper, it became apparent the reasons people don’t seek help are multiple and complex, so a single message wouldn’t resonate with everyone.'

The digital out-of-home campaign came about when media owner JCDecaux approached Alcoholics Anonymous as part of its charity initiative, which gives charities free ad space. JCDecaux then asked the agency The Raised Eyebrow Society to create the ads.

The campaign highlights what can come from embracing the constraints placed on our work.

As creatives, there will be many road bumps that hinder our executions. These may come from the client, our own agencies, or our self-limiting beliefs. Learning to overcome these can be our greatest strength and improve the outcome of our campaigns.

Three takeaways:

Symbolism and minimalism can be powerful. Minimalist design and symbolic elements can communicate powerful messages without overt branding. Focus on key elements that can represent your brand or message without explicit detail. This approach can create a strong visual identity and resonate deeply with your audience.

Align messaging with organisational values. Before developing a campaign, you must deeply understand the values and principles of the organisation. Create messages and visuals that reflect these values so every aspect of the campaign reinforces the mission and ethos. This approach helps maintain integrity, whatever the execution.

Embrace constraints to fuel creativity. Constraints can often drive more innovative solutions. Instead of viewing limitations as barriers, consider them as opportunities to think outside the box! In this campaign, the inability to use traditional promotional elements like logos and contact information pushed the creative team to devise a unique, subtle approach.

So identify the key constraints of your project and brainstorm creative solutions with your team that work within these boundaries. Then use those limitations to spark innovative ideas that might not have emerged otherwise!

-Sophie, Writer