• Youth-led Moderate Drinking Programme – GYSB shares youth alcohol consumption research findings, and garners strong support from prominent industry partners

Singapore, 16 October 2008 – ‘Get Your Sexy Back’ (GYSB), Singapore’s first youth-for-youth initiative to promote responsible drinking among young adults enters a new phase, returning bigger and better with a host of exciting new activities focusing on ‘Getting Your Sexy Back’ with music, sports, fashion and friendship, following the successful run of the inaugural campaign which ended in March this year. Spearheaded by Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS), the second phase of the GYSB programme is launched today, led by volunteer ambassadors from student bodies and tertiary institutions, and with strong support from partners including Cheers, Clear Channel, NewUrbanMale.com, 7-Eleven and Sony BMG.

Dipstick survey and in-depth research

Following the conclusion of the first phase of the GYSB campaign in March, a dipstick survey was conducted to measure the effectiveness of its outreach. Out of 280 youths (18 – 25 years) surveyed, it was found that:

• 89% of respondents were aware of the first phase of the GYSB campaign;
• 69% of respondents said GYSB has made them more aware of the issue of binge drinking amongst youths;
• 72% of respondents said that GYSB has made them more aware of the importance of drinking responsibly;
• 78% of respondents said they would drink responsibly in future.

At the launch today, the youth-led moderate drinking programme, GYSB further shared the key findings of a more recent study of youth attitudes towards alcohol consumption, conducted by Dr. Mathew Mathews from the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore. Commissioned by APBS for the GYSB programme, and surveying 531 Singaporean youths aged 18-25 at a number of popular nightspots across Singapore, the study found that 73% of those surveyed at clubs aged between

18-25 binge drink at least once a month. A further 60% of respondents revealed that many of their friends have difficulty controlling the amount of alcohol they consume, while 63% said that binge drinking was common among the people they hang out with.

Mr Bennett Neo, General Manager of APBS, said: “At Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore, we take our role as a responsible corporate citizen very seriously, and are committed to taking the lead in promoting responsible drinking in the community. The results from the initial dipstick survey of the inaugural campaign were certainly encouraging. But the findings of Dr Mathews’ study clearly demonstrate the need for the continuation and renewal of a youth-oriented programme like ‘Get Your Sexy Back’ so as to further educate young adults on the effects of binge drinking – making it easier for them to make their own lifestyle choices, through raising the social currency of moderation.”

Dr Mathew Mathews from the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, said: “This study is probably the only one internationally which looked at bingeing among club-goers, who in general are young, trendy and probably more likely to binge. I think a programme such as ‘Get Your Sexy Back’ is certainly useful, considering that nearly half of our club-going respondents did not think there was enough information about the effects of binge drinking.”

Four ways to ‘Get Your Sexy Back’

To reach out to youths and engage them in ways that are relevant to them, the GYSB programme has lined up a host of exciting activities centred around the themes of music, sports, fashion and friendship. Led by volunteer ambassadors from the various tertiary institutions, student bodies and youth clubs, GYSB will be looking to spread the moderate drinking message at various sporting events, concerts and parties over the next 10 to 12 months. Prominent student groups that have already committed their support to the programme include members from the NUS Dance Ensemble, NTU Sports Club and SMU Flares. The first major event in the second phase of GYSB will be the upcoming NTU Street Challenge, the largest event on the university’s sports calendar, to be held on 18 October.

Commenting on the GYSB programme, volunteer ambassador Lu Junhong from the NTU Sports Club, said: “We were all very impressed when we heard about the GYSB programme, and thought it would be a good message to spread to our friends and schoolmates. Together with other volunteers, we plan to use our upcoming Street Challenge as an avenue to talk to the student community about the importance of moderation and also to urge our peers to pledge their support and sign up as volunteers. I think GYSB is a great cause to be a part of and I like the fun and approachable feel of the programme.”

GYSB website

A major focus of the programme is the newly refreshed GYSB website – www.gysb.sg. Containing information on the latest happenings and a calendar of events for each of the four main areas of interest – music, sports, fashion and friendship, the website provides a place where interested youths can visit to find out more about the health effects of binge drinking and the benefits of moderation. Visitors to the site can also learn more about the charismatic volunteer ambassadors that are leading the programme, as well as pledge their support or sign up as a volunteer themselves. The website also carries exclusive offers and giveaways from the programme’s partners.

Prominent industry partners

The GYSB programme has received strong support from partners in a variety of industries. Leading fashion and lifestyle brand NewUrbanMale.com (NUM) has designed an exclusive “NUMXGYSB” range of t-shirts in signature NUM style for the launch of the GYSB programme. These t-shirts are available for sale for a limited period at selected NUM stores, and will also be worn by all NUM ambassadors in the stores as a show of support for the programme.

Said Shenzi Chua, Founder and Director of NewUrbanMale.com: “The social and peer pressures that young people face nowadays are tremendous. Playing a pun on the famous Shakespearean quote “To be or not to be”, the t-shirt slogan “Two beers or not two beers. That is the Question” brings forth the social choices that constantly confront young adults, and in particular the issue of binge-drinking. NUM is all about having fun

and being sexy at the same time. We like the approach that GYSB has taken to this issue and are pleased to be invited to design the official campaign t-shirt and be a partner in this programme.”

Other key partners for the GYSB programme include Cheers, Clear Channel, 7-Eleven and Sony BMG. GYSB is working closely with the partners to reach out to as many young adults as possible by leveraging on key youth touchpoints to spread the responsible and moderate drinking message. GYSB fridge decals will be placed in over 500 Cheers and 7-Eleven convenience stores island-wide, while GYSB outdoor advertising goes up in over 50 locations across Clear Channel’s youth-oriented network.

A set of 30,000 CD inserts, complete with a call to action for the GYSB programme website, were also circulated in conjunction with the release of Jay Chou’s latest album, as well as the chance for five lucky youths to win an exclusive autographed copy of the Jay Chou album each.

“We are very encouraged by the response that GYSB has received and are grateful for the support of our volunteer ambassadors and valued partners. We certainly look forward to having more volunteers and partners on board this programme in the next 10 to 12 months. With everyone playing a part, we are confident that we are in a strong position to make a meaningful contribution to the community and to bring the moderate drinking message to our youths in fun, interesting and interactive ways,” said Mr Neo.