DRINKiQ x UKMSA Mission: Shoulder to Shoulder

Client: Diageo

For many, alcohol consumption doesn’t increase in later life in a vacuum. It does so because of a vacuum. Children leaving home, retirement and bereavement can leave men with a purpose-shaped hole, and time once spent active and together becomes time spent more idly: on the couch or at the pub. For many, one or two drinks a week can become three or four across several days. Public health data shows that men over 55 drink more, and more often, than any other group, with 29% consuming alcohol at “increasing risk” levels. But the power of alternative social outlets to shift drinking patterns is real.

We united Diageo’s responsible drinking platform DRINKiQ with the UK Men’s Sheds Association to create a campaign rooted in purpose and connection. Together, we launched Mission: Shoulder to Shoulder, to build 100 buddy benches across the UK and spotlight how positive social outlets support physical and mental wellbeing, including alcohol moderation.

We recognised we were looking to engage an audience that had a reluctance to address their drinking habits, despite decades of hearing alcohol-moderation messaging. So, we built a campaign that went beyond simply telling them to drink less, meeting them where they were, and tapping into their lived experiences. We not only signposted alternative social outlets but forged a multi-faceted campaign to scale and strengthen the positive impact Men’s Sheds were already making, equip Shed leaders with tools to spark open, stigma-free conversations around drinking habits, and incite policy change in men’s health space.