Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

know that they were covered by their Canadian policy if they had an accident while driving in the U.S.
TFC used these findings to create a media release clarifying both home and insurance policies, posted it
to the on August 9, 2011, and sent an email pitch with the results to a list of home, auto and lifestyle
media.
Action Against Distraction
Building on a successful 2010 program, TFC worked with Allstate Canada to create media events in
Toronto, Montreal and Moncton where students from high schools would help “Blow the Whistle” on
distracted driving by counting how many drivers were distracted (talking on phone, texting, eating, etc.)
in a one‐hour period when driving through an intersection near their school. TFC also partnered with
police in the three cities to participate in the count and be available, with an Allstate representative, for
interviews. Media advisories were distributed to media in each of these markets. In six other markets
with Allstate Insurance Agencies (Windsor, Sudbury, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax and Ottawa), agency
managers conducted similar tallies in the same one‐hour window and supplied all results to TFC.
Immediately after the Blow the Whistle events, TFC tallied all results and distributed a media release
with the results from the tally and made photographs from the events available on Flickr. The release
highlighted the fact that despite legislation in all provinces banning texting/emailing and driving,
distracted driving remained a dangerous behaviour in many markets. We then coordinated media
interviews with Agency Managers in all markets.
Ontario Safe Driving Study
Ontario is Allstate Canada’s largest market and since 2009 TFC has conducted the Ontario Safe Driving
Study, which looks at Allstate Canada customer data and ranks communities and regions in Ontario by
the frequency of car collisions per 100 cars insured by Allstate Canada. The study’s aim is to encourage
discussion on the importance of safe driving in Ontario communities, particularly those with Allstate
Insurance Agencies.
In 2011, TFC examined the data of 45 Ontario communities and five regions and with the help of Allstate
Canada ranked the communities. We developed a provincial release, a table of results plus 12 regional
pitches focusing on larger markets in Ontario. We also liaised with local police to ensure they were
aware of the imminent release of data and were included as potential interviewees where possible. The
Safe Driving Study was launched on November 29, 2011, when TFC also organized a congratulatory
media event in Brockville, the top‐ranked city, with the town’s mayor and police chief. We also arranged
for the local Allstate agency manager to give out Allstate Canada branded car safety kits at a Brockville
hockey game.
Challenges
TFC faced two notable challenges while executing the 2011 Allstate Canada media relations plan.
Action Against Distraction
While TFC had conducted distracted driving programs for Allstate in the previous two years, the idea for
the distracted driver tallies came from an American Allstate program where students at a Texas school
dressed up as lifeguards and complete with lifeguard chairs and whistles tallied distracted drivers one
afternoon. Because the event had not been tried before by Allstate Canada and we were uncertain
therefore whether enough distractions were happening to warrant street corner tally, staff from Allstate
Canada and TFC went to a Toronto intersection to test the idea. Within a half hour, the team counted all
types of distractions, but another startling distraction was also observed: drivers were distracted by the
tally takers on the side of the road! Given that we had proved that tallies would work for our campaign
but didn’t want to be a cause of distraction, we revised the events by removing elements that would