Cade Tyrell

1010 Period 4

Mrs. Trelease

28 September 2017

Less Drinking, More Thinking

People prepare for parties. This social event is one of the most coveted traditions for

younger generations. Special decorations, party hats, spectacular outfits, entertainment, and

laughter bring everyone together. A night you expect to be filled with excitement has many

variables that can change its outcome. In 2010, Soul Fast Advertising published their most

popular ad campaign to date- of a girl throwing up. At the top right of the ad, it states Alcohol

can end your party above 1800-STOP-NOW- Stop Drinking Association. Wearing her best

looking outfit, this woman stumbled away from the buzz of the occasion, narrowly missing a

dresser and decor as she b-lined for the nearest toilet. Unfortunately, her body was not able to

travel that distance due to her level of intoxication. Upon this realization she drops her bag,

slaps her hand on the wall for stabilization, struggling to stand as a rainbow waterfall expunged

from her insides. On the floor it goes, next to the confetti and party horns. In a world where

drinking is on the rise and glamorized in society, the ads colorful shock value, vile actions and

eye catching themes motivate the viewer to ponder their own actions as individuals who use

alcohol at parties.

Celebrations create an atmosphere filled with new people and new ideas. The ad

creates a complete alternate reality for the typical party-goer. This was not the fun kind of

party. Decoration remnants from party are on the floor, but there is no party around her. The
walls, carpet, picture frame, dresser, lamp and bag that surround the woman are all different

shades of brown. The only color in the advertisement is from the rainbow streamers exiting the

woman's mouth, all the way to the floor with no end in sight. The color brown suppresses the

emotions, creating a safe haven inside from the stresses of the outside world. Alcohol is

classified as a depressant. Similar to the color brown, alcohol creates a false happy place and

sucks the color out of people to the point they are pushed far from reality. The size and popping

color of her throw up streaming from her mouth to the ground stuns the viewer with her

disgusting, volatile actions. The streaming lines of color give the viewer an idea of why she is

stopped here. She has removed herself from the party because she physically cant handle it

anymore. One drink after another, her liver cant process the immense amount of alcohol that

was consumed and there is no where else for it to go besides out. Stop Drinking Association

attempts to highlight the negatives of drinking with its most common side effect-throwing up.

This gross outcome has pushed her farther from her friends and farther from reality one more

sip at a time. Stuck to you like a string, alcohol can end your party in a heartbeat.

The ad is a pure depiction of this woman. Her entire body is included in the image, and

she is alone. Mid twenties, wearing a 90s fashion-esque party outfit with a silver party hat, she

looks tired and worn from years of alcohol abuse. Her clothing and wasted expression shows

the effects of drinking over a lifetime. The entire ad looks dusty, or not clean due to money

spent elsewhere. Unapologetically, no one is comforting her and holding her hand as she

agonizes in pain. The ad shows the viewer how much work has lead up to this event. She could

have had a good night without this embarrassing alone time if she didnt abuse alcohol. The

once pretty girl you didnt expect to be sick from intoxication is now the face of anti-alcohol
campaign. Her actions (throwing up streamers) are surprising and unwarranted. The emphasis

of her physical traits is effective because it gets the viewer to feel empathy but wonder why she

is this way. Why did she drink so much? Where has her morality gone? People compare

themselves to the woman in the ad and recall times they have overused a substance. Stop

Drinking Association gets the viewer questioning their own habits, with the goal of not treating

ourselves the same way as this woman did.

Sometimes we drop everything for a chance to feel different. Young people are often a

victim of this situation represented in the ad. The intended audience for this ad is younger

people who drink at parties. Young people look for shock factor and bold statements, so this

catches their eye. The ad is visually provoking- they can relate to the woman in the photograph.

A night out with good intentions ends with bad decisions. The creators of the ad are reaching

their target audience in a successful way and connect with the audience by appealing to themes

they love- partying and leisure time. The ad impacts the viewer by challenging the morality of

the things they love. The text in the corner reinforces the harsh reality of alcohol/drug abuse,

which is possibly new information to the reader. By seeing that drinking can be adverse to your

health and alter how much leisure time we get, it is logical to assume drinking less is positive.

This thought process is intended to get party-goers to re-think how they spend their free time

away from work and responsibility. Are they being healthy with their bodies and decisions?

The Stop Drinking Association ad presents and supports its argument effectively. By

using methods to target a specific audience (young people), the ad completes one of its goals of

influencing a certain demographic and leaving an impression. The woman is supposed to be at a

party, which is often associated with happiness and celebration. Instead, due to her current
state of regurgitation the tone is more concerning and alarming. This effective use of tone

captures the viewer, relates to them and gets them to contemplate their own party actions and

routines. Stop Drinking Association aimed to impact young individuals with an ad that was

impressionable and informational for the viewer. In a world where drinking is on the rise and

glamorized in society, the ads shock value and vile actions catch the eye. They might even

remember it next time they are thinking about partying and decide not to drink a drop, which

accomplishes the goal of this advertisement.

 Works Cited

Adsarchive. Coloribus.com, Stop Drinking Association Stop Drinking Association,

rmd.me/lYz49wlLvPE. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.

Richard J Bonnie, and Joel W Grube. Alcohol in the Media: Drinking Portrayals, Alcohol

Advertising, and Alcohol Consumption Among Youth. Reducing Underage Drinking: A

Collective Responsibility., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 2004,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37586/ . Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.

The Color Brown. Empowered By Color, 2007,

www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-brown.html. Accessed 28

Sept. 2017.