Don’t believe in fairy tales. Don’t drink while pregnant! The third edition of the FASOFF social campaign has been launched

Every year on September 9, International FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) Awareness Day is observed, the goal of which is to remind mothers-to-be about the consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. On that day, the “Dom w Łodzi” Foundation, in cooperation with Kompania Piwowarska, launched the third edition of the FASOFF social campaign, this time around in the dark fairy tale format.

FAS is a characteristic pattern of psychological and physical congenital defects occurring in children of mothers who were drinking alcohol while pregnant. These disorders can resurface even a few years after birth. The scope and intensity of the abnormalities can differ significantly depending on the case and include growth retardation before and after birth, skull and facial malformations, irregularities in brain functions, and additional physical disorders. FAS can also be linked to different levels of mental disability, learning disorders and behavioural problems.     

– Fetal alcohol syndrome is truly dramatic for a child. It is a ticket to the world of trauma, failure, frustration and social alienation. We provide care for children suffering from FAS, but we know that despite our best efforts, endeavours of specialists, support of therapists and medication – we will never be able to make up for the pre-natal devastation caused by alcohol. Therefore, we have to do our best to ultimately debunk all myths regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The message has to reach not only mothers-to-be, but also people from their environment – says Jolanta Bobińska, founder and president of the orphanage for sick children belonging to the Dom w Łodzi” Foundation.

Third edition of the campaign 

To make sure that the campaign communications reach as many people as possible, the organizers, with the help of influencers, once again engaged online audiences. The role of the ambassadors is to post on their social media profiles photos with an upside-down glass and the #FASOFF! tag. For the purpose of this year’s campaign, a few spots bringing dark fairy tales to mind were produced to debunk the myths regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Kompania Piwowarska once again served as the partner of the FASOFF campaign. As the leader of the beer industry in Poland, the company has been promoting responsible alcohol consumption for years. Above all, it warns against consumption of alcohol by minors and pregnant women as well as driving under the influence. 

Research conducted by the State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems indicates that as many as 30% of women admit to the use of alcohol during pregnancy. The “Don’t believe in fairy tales, be FASOFF” campaign warns against consumption of even the smallest amounts of alcohol during pregnancy.

– Unfortunately, people still believe in myths such as “a bit of alcohol will cause no harm”, “in the first months of pregnancy the child is protected”, “FAS can be cured”. It is about time we put these myths where they belong - among fairy tales. We are convinced that we can again generate buzz around this social issue and protect many children against the drama brought by FAS – says Małgorzata Walędzińska-Półtorak, Sustainable Development Program Manager at Kompania Piwowarska.

Concept creation and campaign execution were for the third time delivered by MOSQI.TO .

Information about FAS and the campaign is available at: www.fasoff.pl

The previous editions of the FASOFF project have won numerous awards and distinctions, including the Digital Communication Award 2020 in the CSR Communication category.