Motorists in Douglasville may have done a double-take this week while driving past two billboards.
One, a public health message from the Live Healthy Douglas Coalition, warns passers-by that underage drinking is a “big deal” and adds, “Don’t provide alcohol to minors.”
Just below that message, however, was another billboard promoting Crown Royal Maple Finished Whisky. It simply said, “Whisky started. Maple finished.”
The placement of the two billboards together on Hospital Drive raised suspicions in Douglas County, whose Live Healthy Douglas Coalition is part of Cobb & Douglas Public Health.
In a statement Friday, Douglas County spokesman Wes Tallon said the billboard company was notified “of this total disregard” for efforts to reduce underage drinking.
“It is a blatant, in-your-face challenge to the Live Healthy Douglas campaign,” Tallon said.
Diageo Distributors said the Crown Royal billboard was taken down Saturday. In a statement, the company said it was never its intention to put the ad near the public service announcement.
“We only want adults of legal drinking age consuming our products and would never want to undermine a message that discourages underage drinking,” Diageo said in the statement. “We applaud Douglas County for their efforts to curb underage drinking. It’s a mission we share.”
Jodi Senese, chief marketing officer for billboard company CBS Outdoor, said the placement of the two billboards together “was completely erroneous… and that was on our side.”
She said Diageo has hundreds of ads in the Atlanta market, “and there is a certain randomized element to the posting.”
Senese said CBS Outdoor had the Diageo ad removed within 24 hours of being notified of the issue, and the county would be contacted Monday to “rectify the situation.
Diageo also makes Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, Baileys, Captain Morgan and other alcoholic brands.
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