Lucky Saint, the alcohol-free beer brand, kicked off 2024 by becoming the first Official Beer of Dry January in the UK. The brand took the annual focus on new year wellness as an opportunity to launch a new campaign entitled: ‘Thou Shalt Go To The Pub’.

The campaign was launched in partnership with Alcohol Change, the charity responsible for the cultural phenomenon of Dry January. Featuring marketing activity across paid social, digital marketing, organic social, OOH and an in-venue experience, the campaign brought in the new year with a joyful embrace of sobriety.

As the UK’s leading independent, alcohol-free beer, Lucky Saint is a natural pairing for Dry January. This year, the brand wanted to make sure that those undertaking the month of no drinking still had a fun start to the year.

Luke Boase, outlines, Founder of Lucky Saint, explains: “We believe that the greatest reward of drinking is the social connection, not the alcohol. So while January is traditionally a month of moderation, it now means we can stay social and drink January dry”.

He continues: “Whether you are cutting out or cutting down, you can still enjoy a great drink with friends”. Under the premise that January is cold and dark enough as it is, ‘Thou Shalt Go To The Pub’ encouraged non-drinkers to still go to a warm pub with friends.

The campaign was shot by Sun Lee and Rankin and produced in-house. The creative plays on the idea of not drinking being seen as virtuous. They feature a nun-like figure in clean white, grey, and black hues, holding a bottle of alcohol-free beer alongside slogans like ‘lead me not into temptation’ and ‘rejoice’.

Alongside the activation, Lucky Saint held a giveaway of 10,000 pints in venues. Non-drinkers could claim their free pint via the brand website, encouraging pub attendance and socialising, just without the drinking. The move was in partnership with DriftRock platform and Mitchell & Butlers.

As well as the giveaway, Lucky Saint held a pop-up pub in Waitrose, Kings Cross, where it served draught beer and hosted a series of Dry January events. There was a pub quiz, a 5k run, and a beer pong tournament, which all supported sobriety whilst helping consumers escape the gloom of January.

Lucky Saint’s activation echoes the attitude towards Dry January that Dr Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK, expresses. He says: “Dry January is not about giving something up. It's about giving ourselves new choices, resetting our relationship with booze, and improving our physical health and mental wellbeing”.

January often comes with talk of self-improvement. Yet devoid of wellness-washing, the ‘Thou Shalt Go To The Pub’ succeeds by not taking itself too seriously. A reminder that the message to drink less alcohol, doesn’t always need to equate to having less fun.