New "Chat Stories" Experience from the Ad Council Draws Teens in with Interactive Underage Drinking & Driving Prevention Message

NEW YORK, June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Ad Council is releasing its first story-driven chat experience on a mobile platform, developed in partnership with the conversational marketing platform Snaps. Inspired by the insight that teens increasingly seek out interactive stories and "chatbots" online, the "Ultimate Party Foul" chat experience leverages this emerging format to seamlessly integrate a message about the consequences of underage drinking and driving.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8348951-ad-council-ultimate-party-foul-underage-drinking-driving-prevention/

The "Ultimate Party Foul" experience is hosted on Facebook Messenger and supported with donated media from Facebook.

"Facebook recently announced there is a user base of over 1.3 billion users on Messenger. Activating on Messenger enables the Ad Council to engage their target audience in a powerful and authentic way - right inside the users' favorite messaging app," says Jonathan Shriftman, Head of Business Development at Snaps.

The storyline highlights the range of potential consequences of drinking and driving underage, and plays on teens' fear of losing the newfound freedom a driver's license represents.

Each user joins a group chat with teen characters and actively participates in the story by responding to conversation prompts. The user gets to know the characters as they plan and attend a party, and suspense builds around which character will commit the "ultimate party foul" ? driving home after drinking. The story concludes the next day, when the rest of the group learns that this character has lost his driving privileges, faces legal fees, and has to worry about how an arrest record will affect his college applications.

"This immersive experience brings teens into a captivating story where the characters and consequences feel true to life," said Lisa Sherman, Ad Council President and CEO. "It's is an innovative and powerful extension of our efforts to encourage young people to reconsider getting behind the wheel after drinking."

The chat experience is part of the ongoing Underage Drinking and Driving Prevention campaign from the Ad Council, which includes TV, radio, outdoor, and digital PSAs supported by donated media nationwide. The campaign directs young people to UltimatePartyFoul.org for more information and tips to avoid drinking and driving underage.

About the Ad Council
The Ad Council brings together the most creative minds in advertising and media to address the most worthy causes. Its innovative, pro bono social good campaigns raise awareness. They inspire action. They save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org follow the Ad Council's communities on Facebook and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.

About Snaps
Snaps enables Fortune 500 brands to acquire new customers, increase LTV and remove customer service costs through AI chat. With Snaps technology, brands can exceed 65% message open rates, 25% CTR, 4x revenue lift, and reduce service costs by up to 20%. Snaps powers automated messaging at scale for Jordan Brand, Foot Locker, Coty, VICE, Marriott Rewards, Mars, AdAge & more. One of the few companies listed in Facebook Messenger's Platform Partner Directory, Snaps is comprised of an award-winning team that provides technical, creative and media buying solutions.

SOURCE Ad Council