Malibu and Tom Daley’s Don’t Drink and Dive update features colour-changing swimwear and a sobering statistic
Since its launch in 2024, the first iterations of Malibu’s Don’t Drink and Dive campaign with Olympic champion Tom Daley have claimed a host of awards, and most importantly, raised significant awareness of the dangers of mixing alcohol and swimming. Now in its second year, Don’t Drink and Dive is back with an innovative new hook: colour-changing knitted swimming trunks that change from coral pink to bright yellow at temperatures over 20C, and regular ‘Daley weather updates’ delivered by Tom when the mercury rises. He even gave an update live on ITV’s This Morning – in his knitted briefs!
So why the new focus on temperature? Research by Bournemouth University commissioned by Malibu shows that the risk of alcohol-related drownings increases fivefold at temperatures above 20C, a factor that is particularly relevant as the summer progresses. To find out more, we sat down with Malibu Creative Content Manager Ned Paterson, who explains why Malibu has big ambitions to get even more attention on Don’t Drink and Dive’s message, details how and why the knitted swimwear came to life, and gives us a behind the scenes look at building trust for an important cause.
The first year of Don’t Drink and Dive was hugely successful. What was Malibu’s vision to build on that while also keeping things fresh?
We wanted to build on the massive success of year one of Don’t Drink and Dive without changing the fundamentals of something that was already resonating so brilliantly. We aimed to stay true to the overall message and idea, but find a new, creative way to get more attention for them. We sought to generate even more earned media attention around the fact that in the UK, one in four drownings involve alcohol, which remains the key message of Don’t Drink and Dive. That risk of alcohol-related drownings still hasn’t changed, hence our messaging remains consistent.
We asked for the foundations of Don’t Drink and Dive to stay the same, but with a new hook that puts more eyeballs on this important message.
The colour-morphing briefs are humorous, but they also put clear focus on a serious issue. How did the idea evolve?
The concept came through a clear brief from our side and a great idea from our agency partner Pangolin. We were very specific in asking for the foundations of Don’t Drink and Dive to stay in place, but to find a new hook that will grab more eyeballs and put them on this important message – all in a way that is still natural to Malibu.
The idea was strong from the first presentation; everyone immediately loved it. Everything about the knitted briefs fits naturally with Malibu: in particular, the summer feel and the slightly nostalgic heat-sensitive factor that evokes images of the 90s, which is very much in a revival moment.
The core hasn’t changed since that first approval. We just had to nail the practical challenge of ensuring the heat-sensitive dye changed colour at the exact temperature that aligns with the shocking fact that comes from our new research. The stars aligned, and we found a dye that changes colour at exactly 20 degrees – supporting the new research we commissioned which shows that the risk of drowning increases fivefold when the temperature rises over 20. It was meant to be.
Along with a ‘Daley forecast’ appearance on ITV’s This Morning, the campaign will also see Tom giving further weather updates on social when it gets hot. Why did Malibu choose that proactive approach?
We chose this route because it fits the brand and concept perfectly on several levels. It contextualizes our new data in the here and now, builds upon our existing messages, and also allows us to maintain the core of last year’s successful idea, featuring Tom Daley and his knitting.
Those further short ‘Daley Forecast’ videos we are releasing have a nice behind the scenes, breaking the fourth wall feel. The plan is for them to go live whenever the temperature is over 20.
The dye changes colour at exactly 20 degrees – supporting the new research we commissioned which shows that the risk of drowning increases fivefold when the temperature rises over 20.
Trust is hugely important for Don’t Drink and Dive’s success. How is Malibu continuing to build trust this time around?
Trust is absolutely crucial. A pillar of this campaign is what we call “walking the walk”. The campaign was so well received last year that we are in the luxury position of being able to build upon that trust, and we want to be very careful to make sure everything we say is underpinned by facts.
The new concept is built on data from Bournemouth University and expert voices from the university who will contribute to the campaign. Plus, we also chose to launch the campaign on World Drowning Prevention Day (July 25th) to further strengthen its credibility and continue to maintain trust.
The campaign also has to be engaging for the message to spread. How helpful is having Tom Daley in that regard – an elite level athlete who is highly trusted, but also a magnetic personality?
Tom is essential – he gets it right every time. Continuing the idea of building trust, he is a credible voice who excelled at the top of water sports and understands better than anyone the excitement and risks that come with water.
At the same time, he is a credible person from the world of knitwear too thanks to his brand Made With Love. Then you add on top of that how he is as a person, and he is really a perfect partner and source of creativity.
Tom has great ideas on shoots and is really smart and responsive. He’s an established campaigner from his work campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights, is very responsible in his tone, but at the same time, also very skilled at bringing humour to grab attention. If Tom feels strongly that he wants to do something, then we trust him.
What would success for Don’t Drink and Dive year two look like?
Major success would be getting large broadcast reach through the weather forecast on ITV’s This Morning, which gives great visibility to our important message. We also think it’s possible to get strong social media engagement in our collab posts with Tom and the temperature-triggered weather updates, and we think there’s potential for big earned media reach too.
We’re also looking forward to seeing fresh, unique angles through our creator partnerships. We’ve given out a very small number of the knitted briefs to content creators in the UK who are going to show them through their own unique, fun filters to further spread the word. And a very small number – only six items – will be released into the wider world in a consumer giveaway.
Tom Daley delivering a weather forecast in heat-sensitive knitted trunks on daytime TV? That’s bold and provocative stuff.
Don’t Drink and Dive has already won awards and plenty of plaudits since starting in 2024. What stands out to you from the reaction so far?
The response has been extraordinary. We’ve achieved a potential reach of well over one billion so far, but most importantly is the change in behaviour – an increase in 12% of the awareness of the risks we’re campaigning about and a massive 29% said they wouldn’t drink and swim after ad exposure (that’s 2.9 million people!)
People love the balance of gravity and levity inherent to the campaign and that seems to grab their attention, make them enjoy the material but also take in the message. We see that in the comments, the reach, and in what we hear from journalists too.
Finally, what part of this extension of Don’t Drink and Dive are you most excited for?
The TV stunt on This Morning was definitely the part I was excited to see most. We spent quite a few months working on it, so it is easy to forget how disruptive and inventive it is, but Tom Daley delivering a weather forecast in heat-sensitive knitted trunks on daytime TV? That’s bold and provocative stuff…pulling that off to get the Don’t Drink and Dive message out there is something special. I love that we’re giving people something completely fresh and engaging again for such an important cause.
You can read more information and data from the latest Don’t Drink and Dive update here.
