Adam Fox, director of strategic communications for CCHI, defends the ads, saying they have multiple educational messages. “One of the primary audiences that we’re targeting is young adults and really trying to portray that there is risk involved in alcohol,” said Fox. He added: “Alcohol, as we all know, increases the risk of bad things happening and is kind of used to heighten the sense of risk that the images would portray.”

Fox dismissed those who are using the ads to mock Obamacare, saying there are “always going to be those people who try to twist what you’re doing towards their own purposes.” Instead he said he felt confident that the campaign is reaching “the population that we’re trying to communicate.” As an example, Fox cited “a friend of one of the guys in the keg stand picture,” who “got a message from someone in Hong Kong” about the ad.