Sacred Heart University’s new anti-binge drinking campaign LessThanUThink (LTUT) kicked off last week at the annual Pack the Pitt event, where SHU students swarmed the LTUT table for free souvenirs, such as stress balls, sunglasses, bags and posters. LTUT quickly gained momentum with the local media and social media as SHU basketball fans engaged with this new campaign. The team hosted its second event this past Wednesday, “Beach Party,” where students gave away more free LTUT souvenirs. LTUT has been popping up all around campus with nontraditional messaging like “It takes lessthanUthink to snag swag for your sweetie,” and there is still more to come this month.
The LTUT SHU student team has put in countless hours working on the implementation of this national campaign, which raises awareness of the negative social consequences of binge drinking. Its objective is to encourage students to make responsible decisions concerning alcohol consumption, especially in the next few weeks as spring break approaches. The humorous messaging of LTUT is specifically designed for students by students, and the campaign has been received extremely well at colleges across the country and in Argentina.
Word about LTUT traveled quickly across campus before the Pack the Pitt event. The student team wrote the hashtag #LTUTSHU on white boards in all of the classrooms on campus, which directed curious students to the Twitter and Instagram accounts. With the help of active social media promotion and eye-catching posters, LTUT inspired conversations about binge drinking all over campusAt the event, SHU President John J. Petillo and Athletic Director Bobby Valentine were both enthusiastic about the campaign at the event and even posed for photos:
Pack the Pitt was the only the beginning! This event helped generate more interest about the Beach Party event, which was held less than a week later. Even with inches of snow outside, SHU students experienced a sneak peek of spring break with a colorful beach-themed table inviting students to learn about LTUT and the negative consequences of overconsumption. Students received LTUT t-shirts, sunglasses and cups in exchange for tweeting with the hashtag #LTUTSHU or for signing the pledge to not binge drink.
Keep an eye out for LTUT across campus in the next few weeks. To learn more about the progression of SHU’s campaign, follow LTUT on Twitter (@LTUThink and #LTUTSHU.)
LessThanUThink was created by advertising and public relations students at The University of Alabama to address the national problem of college-age binge drinking for the 2009 National Student Advertising Competition, hosted by The Century Council and the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The campaign continues to expand to college campuses nationally and internationally due to the success of its creative messaging and student-generated material.