• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 5, 2007

Crown Royal is casting NASCAR racer Jamie McMurray as a cab driver in five new TV spots for an ad campaign that kicks off this month. "Safe Rides Home" promotes safe drinking and will air on national cable networks.

McMurray appears alongside "Arty," a veteran cab driver who tutors him about cab driving in the 15-second ads, which were produced by Grey New York. The ads encourage drinkers to take a cab or some other form of public transportation home, rather than driving drunk.

The same actors are also featured in a series of public service announcements on TV and radio promoting b4udrink.org, a Web site that details the effects of alcohol. In events publicizing the "Safe Rides" theme, McMurray and other drivers actually drive fans home from NASCAR-related revelries. The next stunt is scheduled for Indianapolis on July 29.

With its sponsorship of McMurray's Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion, Crown Royal puts itself in an interesting branding position. As a liquor company sponsoring a vehicular sport, the company is obliged to highlight the incompatibility of the two.

"At the heart of Crown Royal's NASCAR sponsorship is the ruthless focus to promote responsible drinking," says David Tapscott, the company's brand director. This television campaign advances that important message."

The campaign follows a recent report from the Center of Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University, which found that of a total 1.5 million alcohol industry spots aired between 2001-2005, only 41,333 dealt with "responsibility." The industry also spent proportionately less money on producing such ads. Plus, viewers under the age of 21 were almost 240 times more likely to see an alcohol ad than one with a message discouraging underage drinking or noting the adverse effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Calls about ad billings were not returned at press time.