Sheilas' Wheels Two Pink Years On
- Sheila power helps shake up car insurance for women -
It is just two years since three sequin-clad ladies first stepped into a pink Cadillac and sang about car insurance for women but Sheilas' Wheels has already established itself as one of fastest-growing - and the most recognised - women’s insurance products.
The brand is currently taking on new customers at a rate of over 11,000 a month and has built up close to a quarter of a million customers since launch – a growth rate that outstrips the majority of modern insurance brands that market to both sexes. It is also the most well known female car insurance brand among women aged 25-55*.
The combination of innovative benefits – such as handbag cover and female-friendly repairers – and a cult brand with a huge following, has helped to shake up the insurance market with many companies now working harder to engage women.
The brand has also been to places that other insurers fail to reach. It has spawned over 50 YouTube emulations and the three Sheilas – all talented singers in their own right – teamed up with legendary producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman and released their debut single on Monday 24 September 2007: (I’m So) Happy Happy (You’re Mine).
Peter Wood, Chairman of esure and Sheilas' Wheels said: "It sounds obvious but women are hardly a minority. They make up 52%** of the UK population and 45%*** of the driving population but the market has never really focused on what women want from car insurance or enjoy in a brand. Sheilas’ Wheels has succeeded on both counts by putting the fun back into its marketing while keeping a serious and innovative side in its cover.
“The phenomenon has been extraordinary and we have been riding a pink wave of awareness for two years adding colour and excitement into a previously dull market in a way that most insurers can only dream about. We do of course insure men too and have hundreds on our books but we have succeeded by taking nothing but our cover and service too seriously.”
Sheilas’ Wheels Facts and Figures:
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 TV sponsorship – such as the ‘Leading Ladies’ series of programmes including UK TV Gold’s Vicar of Dibley, Catherine Tate and Prime Suspect.
· In February 2007, Sheilas’ Wheels launched its ‘Make Me A Sheila Star’ campaign - a national competition to find guest stars for the next TV adverts that first aired in May. Over 11,500 entries were received from fans of all shapes, sizes and ages – including over 50 men – and thirty won a place in the pink Sheilamobile.
· This year Sheilas’ Wheels has yet again led the way with a new driving initiative to aid women’s safety behind the wheel: The ‘Sheila Driving Heel’. It gives women the best of both worlds - a safe, flat driving shoe and a glamorous pair of heels in one - all interchangeable at a push of a button.
· Sheilas’ Wheels is a growing phenomenon on social networking sites, with over 10 active groups for Sheilas’ Wheels on Facebook alone.
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 fact
- There are 1174 Sheilas’ Wheels policyholders called Sheila
- The oldest Sheilas’ Wheels policyholder is 81 years old.
- The average age of a Sheilas’ Wheels policyholder is 40.
- · Sheilas’ Wheels insures one customer called Sheila Wheeler.
- Five Sheilas’ Wheels policyholders drive pink cars.
-ends-
Notes to editors:
*Unprompted awareness of motor insurance providers among ABC1C2 women aged 25-55 from the GfK FRS, June to August 2007
***http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census
**http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb0605.pdf
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.ilovesheilas.com.
Press contacts:
Adrian Webb, Head of Corporate Communications: 01737 641000
Niki Bolton, Corporate Communications Manager: 01737 235070
Asia Manzoor, PR Officer: 01737 641305
Laura Parsons, Communications Officer: 01737 641304
