Why Tom Daley trunked-up to spread alcohol awareness

We caught up with Hannah Jackson, creative director at Pangolin PR, to delve into Tom Daley’s prime time spot for Malibu.

Tom Hall (TH), Creative Moment: What inspired the campaign?

Hannah Jackson (HJ), Pangolin: Following the success of last year’s Don’t Drink and Dive campaign – which boosted awareness of the risks of drinking and diving (yes, ‘diving’) by 12%, with 29% saying they’d change their behaviour – we knew we had to raise the bar this summer and find a new way into the conversation.

With 1 in 4 drownings in the UK involving alcohol, and new research from Bournemouth University revealing the risk is five times higher when temperatures hit 20°C, we decided that now was the perfect time to lean into one thing - heat.

TH: And how do we get people to care?

HJ: The creative idea sitting at the heart of it all is heat-sensitive crocheted trunks that change colour as it gets hotter. Made with thermochromic dye, the new range is a wearable weather warning, designed to remind us all to think twice before having a drink and a dip.

We carried the weather theme across our entire campaign, with Tom Daley stepping into the role of a ‘weather reporter’, even sporting the trunks in a primetime segment on ITV’s This Morning (which left Alison and Dermot blushing) to deliver ‘Don’t Drink and Dive’ to millions.

TH: What social efforts took place?

HJ: Our four-part ‘Daley Forecast’ social series riffed on classic weather report gone wrong tropes – with Tom getting camera-ready before launching into our summer safety message. It was key to strike the right balance: a playful hook to grab attention, while landing the seriousness of the message.

TH: And did it hit the right metrics?

HJ: With 60 coverage hits so far, the first week of launch has driven brilliant earned results to date – and the ‘Daley Forecast’ series is racking up 3M views and counting. It’s early days yet, but ultimately our goal is to continue raising awareness for such a meaningful cause, and hopefully, shift more attitudes around alcohol and water safety.