Amazing

About the campaign

The ‘Amazing’ campaign aims to increase the proportion of the Western Australian community who are aware that there is no safe amount or time to drink alcohol when pregnant, and that it is recommended that woman who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol. 

The campaign’s key message ‘You know any alcohol you drink passes directly to your baby and can interrupt their development’ challenges the idea that ‘small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy are okay.’

The campaign is consistent with the evidence base and the NHMRC’s revised Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. 

The development of this campaign was informed by:

• Formative research, conducted through a literature review, was undertaken to identify Australian and international sources of recent evidence for public education approaches to preventing alcohol use during pregnancy, and existing knowledge gaps that are relevant to alcohol use among women of childbearing age in Western Australia. 
• Exploratory research which explored the strategies women use to navigate alcohol use when pregnant, planning a pregnancy and breastfeeding, and how the campaign could be leveraged in health settings; to support health professionals to provide clear, accurate and consistent advice regarding alcohol and pregnancy.
• Two rounds of concept testing were conducted to assess the target audience’s response to the campaign and to provide recommendations for concept refinement. 

The entire campaign development process was also guided by an Expert Reference Group, which included experts from organisations such as Cancer Council WA, WA Department of Health, No FASD Australia, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Kids Research Institute Australia, WA Country Health Service, and Curtin Medical School.

The ‘Amazing’ campaign launched across the state on 30 March 2025 and will run for an initial period of 12 months.

Target audience

Primary target audience
Women of child-bearing age living in Western Australia.

Secondary target audience 
Partners, families and support networks of women of child-bearing age in Western Australia.

Tertiary target audience
Western Australian Health Professionals working with women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy.

Campaign objectives

1. Increase the proportion of people that believe that any alcohol use at any stage in pregnancy can result in a range of lifelong harms to the baby.
2. Decrease the proportion of Western Australians who consider a ‘small amount’ of alcohol during pregnancy to be okay.
3. Increase intention and confidence to abstain and/or support others to abstain from alcohol use during all stages of pregnancy and when planning a pregnancy.

Evidence to support the campaign

There is no safe time or amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy.

Reasearch by experts shows that alcohol use, even at low levels, can impact the development of an unborn baby. The risk of harm to a baby increases with the more a mother drinks and how frequently she drinks.

Alcohol can interrupt an unborn baby's development, which can have lifelong impacts.

Alcohol is a teratogen, which means it can interrupt the normal development of an unborn baby. Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and permanent damage to the brain of a developing baby, resulting in a range of lifelong physical, mental and behavioural disabilities, known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).

FASD is the leading cause of non-genetic, developmental disability in Australia. There is concern that as many as 2% of all Australian babies may be born with some form of FASD (O'Leary, 2002).

The Australian Alcohol Guidelines recommend women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy should not drink alcohol in order to prevent harm to their unborn child.

On 8 December 2020, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released their revised Australian Alcohol Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. It is now recommended that to prevent harm from alcohol to their unborn baby, women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy should not drink alcohol. 

A mother's placenta does not protect a baby from alcohol.

The placenta links the blood supply of the mother to the blood supply of the unborn baby. When a woman drinks alcohol, it passes straight through the placenta to the developing baby, so the blood alcohol levels of the mother and unborn baby are similar. 

While the mother might not feel the effects of a few sips or one drink, the unborn baby does. 

Campaign schedule

Campaign material

Television commercial

Outdoor advertising

Social media assets

Click the link below to download the social media posts for the Amazing campaign in 1x1 and 9x16 format including suggested copy.

Click here to access the social media posts

DL brochure

Click here to access the DL brochure

Infographic fact sheet

Click here to access the Infographic fact sheet