Chernoff/Silver and Associates has released it latest work for Shell Oil’s “Count on Shell” safety series.
“Foul Weather Driving Tips” is the seventh installment in the Houston-based oil company’s consumer safety series.
“Information can save lives,” said Susan Borches, vice president of corporate affairs at Shell. “We’re hoping the safety information on ‘Count on Shell’ will do just that.”
J. Walter Thompson in Houston is Shell’s lead agency.
Chernoff/Silver in Columbia, S.C., which began doing project work for Shell in the mid-1990s, has handled the corporate image campaign since 1999.
Marvin Chernoff, chairman of the agency, said his shop is particularly suited for the work. Chernoff worked on Bill Clinton’s first Arkansas gubernatorial campaign.
“Having come out of politics, we understand how to talk to a public that’s somewhat cynical,” saidChernoff. “We also know how to sell intangibles.”
The television commercial will air through the end of the March on regional network affiliates and cable outlets including ESPN, CNN Headline News, CNBC, A&E and the Discovery Channel. Print advertising is scheduled to appear in Forbes, Fortune, Newsweek, People, Sports Illustrated, Time, The New York Times and USA Today. Campaign spending is pegged at $8.3 million.
The 30-second spot demonstrates in storybook form (young women driving to a luncheon appointment on a rainy day) the basics of handling a potentially life-threatening skid in vehicles not equipped with anti-lock braking systems. The agency created the commercial in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration, the American Red Cross and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Other television spots in the “Count on Shell” safety series include “Alone Behind the Wheel, “Kids in the Car,” “Breakdown,” Crash Course” and “Sharing the Road.”
“We’re not selling gas, we’re not selling product. We’re selling safety,” said Chernoff. “This is simple information that makes it easy for everyone to think about a critical issue.”
Each episode’s theme is reinforced by 7.5 million booklets (printed in English and Spanish), which are distributed at Shell stations across the country.
Safety First for Chernoff/Silver
