....news

LADIES LONG FOR THE LIMELIGHT

-Sheilas' Wheels starts search for women to appear in new TV ad-

Almost ten million women* in Britain crave their fifteen minutes of fame, according to a new report out today from Sheilas' Wheels - the car insurer designed for the female driver - to coincide with the launch of its 'Make Me A Sheila Star' campaign.

The 'First Steps To Stardom' study shows that four in ten British women hunger for fifteen minutes in the limelight and aspire to live the lifestyle of their favourite celebrities. Nearly half (49%) of fame-seeking women believe that an appearance as an extra in a TV ad may be their best chance of getting famous.

A fifth (19%) of women said they would be willing to go to an audition for a TV show, such as The X Factor**, to claim a place in the spotlight. Almost one and a half million (6%) women admitted they would even go as far as sleeping with a celebrity to make it happen.

 

The lengths women will go to get their fifteen minutes of fame	Number of women who would go to these lengths
Appear as a TV extra	49% or 4.6 million
Audition for/appear on a TV show	19% or 1.8 million
Sleep with a celebrity	6% or 564,000
Do something outrageous to get noticed by the media	5% or 470,000
Post a video of themselves on a website (eg YouTube)	3% or 282,000

 

The findings are published as Sheilas' Wheels launches its 'Make Me A Sheila Star' campaign that aims to make fame a reality for five lucky ladies. Sheilas' Wheels is searching for women in their 20's to 70's*** to guest star in its new TV ad - alongside the three lead Sheilas - which is due to air later this year.

Cathi Ogden, one of the stars of the Sheilas' Wheels TV ads, said: "I've really enjoyed the attention I've had since becoming a 'Sheila'. Guest starring on the Sheilas' Wheels ads is definitely a great place to start if you want to get on TV or are just a die hard Sheilas' fan who wants to join in the fun."

The research also highlighted that over half (51%) of British women see financial gain as the biggest draw of having a celebrity lifestyle, with a fifth (19%) saying that giving up their 9-to-5 job would be the best thing.

Independent psychologist Mark Tyrell said: "The drive to be famous is more than just a desire for wealth. There are many other reasons why people seek fame. We all need to feel validated by others. With sixty thousand new videos uploaded to YouTube every day and an avalanche of video blogging and viral video on the internet generally, it seems that everyone wants to get some attention and feel at least that bit better known."

"We yearn for our fifteen minutes in the limelight because fame can seem like a cure all. The famous often appear to lead care free, exciting and meaningful lives - which many of us desire. That's why the chance to appear on prime time TV is bound to attract great interest amongst the British public. Attention can give us a buzz - but of course the more recognition we get, the more we may start to need it."

Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for Sheilas' Wheels said: "Since day one we knew that Sheilas' Wheels would never be just another car insurer. The brand has reached out to women of all ages and we have been inundated with requests for all things Sheila - including signed photos of the girls, the song lyrics, and DVDs of the ads. We launched a fan site to help meet demand but wanted to go one step further by getting real Sheilas' Wheels fans glammed-up and on the big screen."

To find out more and enter the competition, Sheilas' Wheels fans should visit www.sheilaswheels.com. All applicants need to do is upload or post in a photo of themselves and complete the following line: Make me a Sheila star because. The competition closes on 10 March 2007 and filming will take place in April or May.

Notes to editors:

*Sheilas' Wheels commissioned YouGov to speak to 1,083 female adults during December 2006.

**"The X Factor is a trademark of FremantleMedia Ltd. Based on the television programme 'The X Factor' devised and owned by Simco and produced by talkbackTHAMES (part of the FremantleMedia group) and SyCo TV. Copyright 2006 Nokia."

***The 'Make Me A Sheila Star' competition is officially open to women aged between 19 and 80 years of age inclusive. For terms and conditions see www.sheilaswheels.com.

Sheilas' Wheels: Sheilas' Wheels was launched in October 2005 to offer women drivers cheaper car insurance and product enhancements including £300 handbag cover - for bags stolen from the car (comprehensive cover only) - competitive breakdown recovery rates, a dedicated counselling line run by trained professionals to help customers cope with driving issues such as road rage (comprehensive cover only), and a network of female-friendly repairers. www.sheilaswheels.com.

Press contacts:

For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Jo Misson or Sam Holl at Teamspirit PR on 020 7438 9400.

Spokespeople interviews available on request - please contact Sam Holl on 020 7438 9400.

 

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Christmas drives women to distraction

A festive driving poll by Sheilas’ Wheels, the car insurer designed for the female driver, reveals that women drive 2.5 billion miles during the month of December doing Christmas tasks, with the average woman clocking up 203 miles preparing for the festivities, visiting family, and getting to and from the multitude of Christmas parties¹

Christmas driving poll

	Festive motoring activity	Average mileage per female driver	Percentage of festive miles	Total mileage for all female drivers in the UK2 (million)
1.	Driving to visit family	51	25%	636
2.	Driving to visit friends	32	16%	401
3.	Buying Christmas presents	27	13%	335
4.	Driving to Christmas do's	18	9%	229
5.	Going sales shopping	17	9%	219
6.	Driving kids around	14	7%	176
7.	Buying Christmas food	14	7%	171
8.	Taking your partner to/from their office Christmas party	13	6%	158
9.	Going to church	9	4%	117
10.	Picking up a Christmas tree	9	4%	110
	Total festive mileage	203		2.5 billion

 

Over a quarter (29%) of all the festive miles are racked up on Christmas shopping trips, suggesting that online shopping still has a way to go, but the bulk (41%) are spent on visits to friends and family, with the associated time spent on the road due to festive traffic congestion.

Financially these Christmas miles puts an even greater strain on the festive purse strings with Christmas parking and petrol costing the average woman nearly £30 on top of her normal December bills. British women spend over £207 million filling up their cars to cover festive mileage³ and on top of that £ 148 million is spent on Christmas car park charges to pick up presents or festive food⁴.

The cost of women’s Christmas driving is not only financial. The environmental impact of women’s festive miles is 904000 tonnes of CO₂ pumped into the atmosphere⁵.

A third of women (32%) admit to driving more than their partner at Christmas time with one in 12 saying they always argue with their partner about who should drive.

Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for Sheilas’ Wheels said: “Christmas is known as being one of the most stressful times of the year, this is especially true for women as they spend more time behind the wheel rushing round to catch up with friends and family as well as tackling last-minute Christmas errands.

“Women need to keep calm and alert on the road at this very busy time to reduce the likelihood of having an accident. We would urge women to stay safer on the roads by avoiding alcohol entirely when getting behind the wheel, never driving when tired, and where possible share the driving with a partner, friend or relative to reduce the burden.”

Editor’s Note:

1. All research quoted is based on an ICM Poll involving the interview of a random selection of 1067 women drivers aged 18+, by telephone between the 29 th November and 3 rd December 2006.

2. There are 12597000 female drivers in the UK, based on the 2001 Census and the National Readership Survey 2005.

3. Petrol costs were based on filling up the most popular car insured by Sheilas’ Wheels in 2006: a Fiat Punto, 1245cc. Details of the Fiat’s fuel consumption were found on www.fiat.co.uk and the average petrol price was found on www.speedlimit.org.uk/petrolprices.html

Petrol cost for an average woman to drive 203 miles was £16.50: img.thisismoney.co.uk/calculators/calcPetrol.html at 88.9 pence per litre.

4. Christmas parking costs the average woman £11.71. This was multiplied by the female driving population ( 12597000)

5. Carbon emissions were calculated using the average woman’s total Christmas mileage (203 miles) on: http://www.nef.org.uk/energyadvice/co2calculator.html

The figure was then multiplied by the female driving population ( 12597000) and 918684094 kgs of CO₂ was converted into tonnes on www.allconversions.com

Press contacts:

Laura Parsons, Communications Officer, Sheilas’ Wheels: 01737 641304 (laura.parsons@esure.com)
Niki Bolton, Corporate Communications Manager, Sheilas’ Wheels: 01737 235070 ( niki.bolton@esure.com)
Asia Manzoor, Communications Officer, Sheilas’ Wheels: 01737 641305 (asia.manzoor@esure.com)

About Sheilas’ Wheels:

Sheilas’ Wheels launched in October 2005 to offer women drivers cheaper car insurance and product enhancements including £300 handbag cover - for bags stolen from the car - competitive breakdown recovery rates, a dedicated counselling line run by trained professionals to help customers cope with driving issues such as road rage, and a network of female-friendly mechanics.

Customer contact number: 0800 085 6919.

Website: www.sheilaswheels.com

 

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GIRLS’ GARAGE GRIPES

-Women drivers risking their lives by avoiding a trip to the garage -

More than four million female drivers admit to putting their lives at risk by continuing to drive faulty, and potentially un-roadworthy, cars because they dislike the experience of visiting a garage, according to a new report out today.

The ‘Girls & Garages’ survey from Sheilas’ Wheels - a car insurer designed for the female driver - shows that a staggering 30% of women have continued to drive their car around for more than a month before taking it to a garage knowing there’s a fault that needs investigating.

Almost half (47%) of female motorists say visiting a garage is an ordeal they’d rather avoid. In fact, a fifth (19%) of women say they would rather go to the doctors – an experience that few look forward to - than take their car into a garage for a service or repair.

Despite the fact that three fifths (61%) of woman currently take their car into a garage on their own, 39% of them say they would prefer to take someone along with them if they were able to – such as a partner, friend or relative. While, one in ten female drivers (12%) currently arrange for someone else to take their car in on their behalf, to avoid the garage experience altogether.

The report reveals that the main reasons why women are put-off garages is because the experience is too ‘blokey’ (39%); the staff come across as patronising and rude (27%); and the atmosphere makes them feel intimidated (23%).

Sheilas’ Wheels exclusively uses ‘female-friendly’ repairers who receive additional guidelines and advice to be more receptive to women’s needs. They follow a code of practice to better meet the individual requirements of female motorists, such as helping with child car seats, arranging visits to fit around school runs, offering flexible drop-off and pick-up times during daylight hours, and so on.

Jacky Brown, spokesperson for Sheilas’ Wheels says: “It’s astounding that so many women motorists are potentially putting their lives on the line by driving around in cars that they know have a fault, just to avoid visiting a garage.

“With over 14 million* female drivers behind the wheel on UK roads, it makes sense that their specific needs are met. Sheilas’ Wheels is urging the motor industry to take action and encourage female drivers to steer towards, rather than steer clear, of garages if their vehicles are in need of maintenance, servicing or repair. After all, it’s in their interest from a business point of view. ”

Christine Maskill, owner of Newbury Crash Repairs, echoes this view : “The problem isn’t that women are nervous drivers or don’t understand the basics, it’s that the service they receive from many in our industry is pretty poor and can be quite off-putting.

“We make sure our staff are trained properly and that particular emphasis is given to cater for female drivers’ needs – such as keeping a mum mobile whilst she’s juggling work, school-age children and a car that needs repair. Tailoring our service to female clients is a crucial part of our business and in what still is very much a man’s world, we need to bring ourselves in line with the rest of the service industry and treat women as our valued customers.”

The ‘Girls & Garages’ report also reveals the top five things garages can do to make dealing with them a better experience:

• Offer transparent pricing structures for labour and parts (63%)
• Provide clearer and more honest information (55%)
• Ensure that receptions are manned by friendly and welcoming staff (41%)
• Improve waiting areas – make them clean and more comfortable (39%)
• Improve the levels of customer service overall (34%)

Notes to editors:

Research: Sheilas’ Wheels commissioned YouGov to speak to 752 female drivers and 792 male drivers in September 2006.

*Source: Office of National Statistics, National Travel Survey 2004 (14.4 million women with driving licenses in UK)

Sheilas’ Wheels: Sheilas’ Wheels was launched in October 2005 to offer women drivers cheaper car insurance and product enhancements including £300 handbag cover – for bags stolen from the car (comprehensive cover only) – competitive breakdown recovery rates, a dedicated counselling line run by trained professionals to help customers cope with driving issues such as road rage (comprehensive cover only), and a network of female-friendly mechanics. www.sheilaswheels.com.

NCR Bodyshops: NCRbodyshops is the trading name of Newbury Crash Repair Ltd, which has been established since 1986. NCR has always been a family owned independent bodyshop and is now trading from its 4th premises in Newbury, Berkshire following periods of steady sustained growth. The company is recognised as having a fully operational Quality Management System demonstrated by having BS EN ISO 9002.

The UK Body Repair Industry carries out approx. 6 million repairs per annum in a market whose estimated value is £5 billion. NCR is within the top 4% of UK Bodyshops with regard to turnover purely from body repairs.

For more information visit www.ncrbodyshops.co.uk or call 01635 277377.

Press contacts:

For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Jo Misson or Sam Holl at Teamspirit PR on 020 7438 9400.

Spokespeople interviews and case studies available on request – please contact Sam Holl on 020 7438 9400.

 

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Happy Birthday Sheilas’ Wheels - a year of pink progress in the female car insurance market

A year after launch, Sheilas’ Wheels has already established itself as one of the leading products for women. The car insurer is currently taking on new customers at a rate of over 2,000 a week beating its own growth targets for this stage by 60%. It has achieved well over 100,000 policies in its first year and aims to more than double its market share in the next year.

Sheilas’ Wheels cover is not just for women and it is important to dispel the myth that men can’t be added onto a policy as a named driver.* In a recent Sheilas’ Wheels survey, over half of all drivers (56%) didn’t know that a man can be added on to a car insurance policy from a female-targeted insurer.** Currently only a third (34%) of Sheilas’ Wheels policyholders have added someone (e.g. a spouse) to their policy, so there is potential for this sector of the market to expand further.

Sheilas’ Wheels is also one of the most recognised brands with brand recognition reaching 86% among women aged 20 - 44.***

Peter Wood, Chairman of esure and Sheilas' Wheels said: "We can now clearly see how ripe this market was for a shake-up. Sheilas' Wheels is close to becoming a generic for women's car insurance just a year after its launch. Women have appreciated both our keen prices and our product features - such as built in handbag cover**** and using a network of female-friendly repairers.

"Our competitors can see we are on to a winning formula and although there have been some copycats, their reaction may be too little, too late. Sheilas’ Wheels is truly a brand to be reckoned with.

"We will continue to consolidate this growth by building our awareness even further. In a market that is highly competitive, Sheilas' Wheels has given us excellent cut-through and strong awareness as well as injecting life and humour into a dull market."

Building the brand

• Sheilas’ Wheels has become one of the most ‘talked about’ insurance brands of the last five years thanks to its highly memorable advertising and its sponsorship of Living TV drama programmes CSI, Grey's Anatomy and Charmed, and ITV's Loose Women.
• This year Sheilas’ Wheels has led the way in terms of innovative driving inventions to aid women’s safety behind the wheel. The first was the ‘S-clip’- a simple seatbelt device to improve comfort across the chest and to encourage more women to buckle-up. We have also created the ‘Buddy on Demand’, a blow-up man that inflates at the flick of a switch if and when a woman driving alone after dark needs an instant passenger to help her feel less vulnerable.
• Sheilas’ Wheels has taken the online community by storm. On YouTube.com for example there is a growing list of Sheilas’ Wheels imitators.
• Sheilas’ Wheels sponsored the 2006 Funny Women Awards, to promote and advance women in comedy, whilst raising money for key women’s charities: Jo’s Trust, a cervical cancer charity and the YWCA.

Product facts

• Sheilas’ Wheels can offer attractive premiums to women as they are safer drivers than men. The industry statistics speak for themselves - men are responsible for 97% of all dangerous driving convictions.*****
• Sheilas’ Wheels offers a 24 hour confidential counselling line for drivers suffering trauma on the road.

Fun Sheila facts

• There are 782 Sheilas’ Wheels policyholders called Sheila.
• The oldest Sheilas’ Wheels policyholder is currently 80 years old.
• The average age of a Sheilas’ Wheels policyholder is 41.
• Only two Sheilas’ Wheels policyholders drive pink cars.

 

 

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HAVE AN INSTANT MAN IN YOUR GLOVE BOX

Sheilas’ Wheels unveils a new man on demand to make women drivers feel safer on the road

Sheilas’ Wheels is always looking at ways to highlight the issues facing women behind the wheel and to offer solutions.

Earlier in the year, we unveiled the ‘S-clip’- a simple seatbelt device for women to prevent the diagonal belt strap causing discomfort across the chest.

We have now created the ‘Buddy on Demand’, a blow up man that inflates at the flick of a switch if and when a passenger is needed to be used whenever a woman driving alone after dark needs an instant passenger.

It is designed to help women deter road-rage attacks, car jacking and intimidating behaviour by other motorists - especially at night - by giving the appearance of two silhouettes in the front of the car, instead of a single, female figure behind the wheel.

Four out of five women* (80%) say they feel safer behind the wheel when there’s someone sitting beside them - but of course it’s impossible to always travel with a partner, friend or relative. This is where having a ‘Buddy on Demand’ can reduce the fear associated with driving alone.

Fay Goodman, personal safety expert from DriveSafe commented on the ‘Buddy on Demand’: "The Buddy on Demand is an ingenious idea and hopefully will go some way to make women feel safer behind the wheel.

"But for those not lucky enough to have an inflatable man at their side, there’s still a great deal female motorists can do to ensure they arrive home safely. Simple actions such as projecting a confident attitude behind the wheel and taking care when planning your journey to avoid unfamiliar areas or cross-country routes can make all the difference."

Here are some tips for driving alone taken from the ‘DriveSafe Handy Pack for women motorists’ that is available to buy online at www.goodmedia.co.uk:

• Project confidence with your body language. Drop your shoulders, lift your chin and try not to clench the driving wheel too tightly. Try and look as relaxed as possible.
• Have a tolerant and considerate attitude towards other drivers - this will keep you calm and you will be less likely to engage in any conflict while driving.
• Never take risks that could compromise your own or someone else’s safety - be aware, prepared and responsible.
• Think ahead when planning your journey:
  • Keep your car in good working order, have it serviced regularly and top-up your petrol levels to avoid a breakdown.
  • Work out what type of roads you will be travelling on (i.e. busy, quiet, town, country) and check you have an up to date road map to avoid asking for directions.
• Drive with someone whenever possible - or your ‘Buddy on Demand’ in the future.
• If you are being followed - walk briskly and assertively towards your car, get in and lock it immediately then drive away. If you feel you cannot reach your car safely then walk to the nearest shop or house and call for assistance. If you are leaving work late at night try to walk with a colleague so you can accompany each other safely. Always have your car keys ready.

‘Buddy on Demand’ is a prototype and is not available for sale.

 

*Sheilas’ Wheels commissioned Lightspeed Research to speak to 500 female drivers in June 2006.