Binge-drink ads take a new tack

Licensees are targeting customers about the dangers of excessive drinking ¬with a warning about man-boobs and penis shrinkage.

A woman's voice is delivering the message through sound panels fitted in pub and club toilets across Liverpool.

The campaign, called 'Pssst!', launched last week.

The audio features the voice of a female with a heavy Merseyside accent, who

says: 'Pssst! Pssst! Did you know too much alcohol can cause man-boobs and penis shrinkage? Be alcohol-aware.'

The campaign, which also includes posters and stickers in urinals that become visible when wet, is a joint effort from Liverpool Primary Care Trust and Citysafe, Liverpool's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

However, some who have signed up to the campaign are sceptical about the audio panels' effectiveness.

Ronnie Timmermans, general manager of Revolution St. Peters Square in Liverpool's Fleet Street, said: "It's a bit comical. It sounds a bit corny. I just think they could have thought about it a bit more thoroughly. It could have been a bit more serious, more poignant. I can see that the message they're trying to get across is a serious one, but my initial reaction was to laugh."

Darren Gilligan, licensee of the Picture House on London Road, said: "They put the frighteners up you. It's quite funny. "To be fair, all our customers are paying attention to it. They all come out of the toilets saying 'man boobs'. I don't think it will stop people buying alcohol though, but it's getting the message across."

Jane Thomas, social marketing innovator at Liverpool Primary Care Trust, said the campaign was created in response to past failed attempts to engage with drinkers: "Our research shows that traditional methods of campaigning aren¹t working so we decided to use a revolutionary new approach."