WASHINGTON, May 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Drivers can find out exactly how many hundreds of dollars they can save on gasoline with their specific vehicles by taking six easy driving and maintenance actions on a new, interactive Drive $marter Challenge website and campaign, launched today by the Alliance to Save Energy, The Wal-Mart Foundation, and 16 other partners.
Based on the Alliance's consumer market research with demographics hit hardest by high gasoline costs, the Drive $marter Challenge campaign goal is to help consumers lower their gasoline costs and usage through fuel-efficiency driving and maintenance tips that add up to hundreds of dollars of savings. The website provides extensive money-saving gas tips in English and Spanish, helpful resources, and discount coupons for vehicle maintenance.
Drive $marter tips are cited when possible with specific dollar and/or percentage savings. Consumers in market research told the Alliance that this knowledge would be a major factor in their decision making and that they haven't seen tips like this before.
To find out up front exactly how much they can save with six actions-or any one of those actions separately-drivers just enter their specific vehicle data (make/model/year/cylinders) on the interactive website.
Drivers are encouraged to take the Drive $marter Challenge-take 1-6 actions to realize specific savings. Savings will be added to a running total of savings on the website of all who have taken the challenge-$, gallons, and CO2 emissions. Participants are asked to encourage others they know to do the same.
A Broadband Media Website-www.DWJTV.com/DriveSmarterChallenge -features downloadable campaign elements including:
- Broadcast-quality B-roll footage available in all formats illustrating some 20 money-saving driving and vehicle maintenance gas tips, highway and in-town traffic, gas prices, screenshots of the website, expert sound bites and generic satellite media tour.
- 5 laugh-out-loud radio PSAs (3 in English and 2 in Spanish, all in :60 and :30)-Baby Talk, Honey I'm Home, Tipping Point, The Mechanic, and Hard of Hearing.
- Audio news releases in English and Spanish.
- Bios, photos, fact sheets, logos, screenshots.
- Driving and Saving (Manejando y Ahorrando) downloadable song in the hot reggaeton Latino beat.
The campaign will utilize a number of other communications tools and consumer outreach tactics that will be dramatically multiplied through participation of 18 total partners ranging from nonprofits to federal government, trade associations, and for-profit companies. Many will be co-branding and distributing millions of English and Spanish tip cards. The National Association of Counties will be challenging counties to challenge each other to obtain the greatest number of sign-ups/actions. Funding from The Wal-Mart Foundation has made possible the Alliance's first consumer campaign focused totally on transportation.