Beer firm's link to safety ads irks booze watchdog

Heineken is wrapping inner-city taxis with this message urging fans to get home safely. Photo / Supplied

Heineken is wrapping inner-city taxis with this message urging fans to get home safely.

A campaign to brand dozens of taxis with the phrase "Let a sober driver take you home" has come under fire.

Green wrap advertising promoting Heineken is to be placed on about 50 Alert Taxis.

Heineken, the "official" supplier of beer for the Rugby World Cup, says the campaign is one of several ways the company intends to get its "sober driver" message through to fans during the event.

However, the Alcohol Healthwatch lobby group says if the company really wanted to be socially responsible it should push the message without its logo.

Director Rebecca Williams said while there was nothing wrong with the sober-driver message, she had a problem with the beer company promoting itself at the same time.

"The best thing for New Zealand would be to ban the advertising and sponsorship by alcohol companies."

Alert Taxis managing director Robert van Heiningen said the campaign followed a similar one with a "make it home" and "sober driver" tagline which has just ended.

That campaign was linked to Auckland Transport.

Mr van Heiningen didn't feel there was any conflict of interest as both campaigns were about deterring people from drinking and driving.

He said it was up to each taxi driver to decide if he or she wanted to carry the ad - for which they would be paid an amount the Herald understands is around $250 a month.

"They do get paid for it - and just for the record, they get paid one hundred per cent of what we receive for carrying the advertising."

A spokeswoman for DB Breweries, which brews Heineken under licence in New Zealand, said Heineken was urging fans to get home safely during RWC 2011 through an integrated marketing campaign.

Other parts of the campaign include the television commercial and the distribution of nearly 100,000 cards - featuring Alert Taxis' number - which will be available at the entrance of Eden Park; the Heineken World Bar and inner city Heineken-aligned bars.