Diageo uses storytelling to drive road safety message at Literary Awards

The Sunday Times Literary Awards, in proud partnership with Exclusive Books, honoured SA’s top fiction and non-fiction writers at an event held in October at The Melrose Gallery in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg. 

Jonny Steinberg won the non-fiction award for Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage (Jonathan Ball Publishers), and Andrew Brown took home the fiction prize for The Bitterness of Olives (Karavan Press).

Diageo, the company behind many well-known premium spirits brands and proud pouring partner to Sunday Times Literary awards, has launched the Wrong Side of the Road #IamResponsible campaign to promote responsible drinking and road safety. The campaign uses immersive storytelling and innovative experiences to educate the public about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Diageo’s timely collaboration with the Sunday Times Literary Awards allowed it to communicate this important message to a large, influential audience on the night, as well as to all readers of the Sunday Times — the biggest weekend newspaper in the country.

With SA facing high rates of road accidents, particularly those involving alcohol, the company’s initiative is timely. According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, a significant portion of traffic fatalities in the country are linked to alcohol-related incidents. Diageo aims to address this by shifting attitudes through engaging, personal experiences.

Guests at the awards evening were encouraged to use Uber as their preferred form of transport to and from the event.

This article was sponsored by Diageo.