Malibu and Olympic Champion Tom Daley Warn Swimmers: ‘Don’t Drink and Dive’

Just two days after announcing his retirement from diving following his silver medal win at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, five-time Olympic medalist Tom Daley stars in a public-service announcement from Malibu warning about the dangers of mixing alcohol and water.

The Pernod Ricard brand’s “Don’t Drink and Dive” campaign, by agency Wieden+Kennedy London, centers around a charming film set to Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).”

Strolling poolside holding the classic rum drink, Daley steps onto a diving board and dramatically tosses aside his Malibu robe. But when Daley looks down at the water, the cheerful music stops as he reads the statistic “1 in 4 U.K. drownings involve alcohol” spelled out in pool tiles.

He instead turns around, revealing the “don’t drink and dive” message on the back of his knitted swim trunks.

Malibu claims that its campaign raising awareness about the dangers of drinking alcohol in or around water is a first for the category.

“Malibu is a drink synonymous with the water, from poolsides to beaches. Instead of another brand telling people to drink water, we wanted to bring attention to a real issue that’s not talked about: drinking around the water,” W+K London strategy director Brian Ritter told ADWEEK.

Along with the ad, Malibu and W+K London created a limited-edition Don’t Drink and Dive capsule collection for Daley’s knitwear brand, Made With Love. Proceeds from the dive briefs, sunglasses, sliders, and bucket hats sold through ByTomDaley.com will be donated to the Royal Life Saving Society UK.

Four additional spots, dubbed “Daley Reminders,” show off different items from the collection.

“By connecting our campaign to something [Daley] loves and is loved for—knitting—we’d have the opportunity to make work that not only helps deliver our message in a unique way, but also makes a real difference,” W+K London creative director Philippa Beaumont told ADWEEK.

The campaign will also feature out-of-home displays in water hotspots around the U.K., paid digital content, and social activations.

CREDITS

W+K London
Creative directors: Freddy Taylor, Philippa Beaumont
Creatives: Brendan Madden, Spencer Llewellyn
Chief creative officers: Ana Balarin, Hermeti Balarin
Group account director: Ollie Pym
Account director: Florence Smith
Chief strategy officer: Dan Hill
Strategy director: Brian Ritter
Head of communications planning: Anjali Patel
Integrated producer: Aurelie Livera
Business affairs: Alex Coomer

TV & Stills Production

Production Company: WracK
Director/photographer: Jenny Brough
Photographer assistant: Ho Hai Tran
Executive producer: Jennifer Lawlor
Production company producer: Clara Bennett
Production manager: Kelly Hewitt
Director of photography: Peter Bishop
Production designer: Dominique Aizpurua
Costume designer: Juliana Laporta

Editorial Company: Work Editorial
Editor: Hasani Franke
Edit producer: Lola Cookman

VFX Company: Time Based Arts
VFX producer: Mia Saunders
VFX supervisor: Danny Peoples
Colorist: Ruth Wardell
Sound designer: Tom Guest

Music Company: Leland
Music supervisor/producer: Maiken Silverup
Composer: Rupert Holmes, Fraser Rieley