In celebration of International
Women’s Month last March and Pilipinas Shell’s 105 years in the Philippines, the global
leader in power and energy has launched a campaign to provide a platform that
will empower women to take control in making the future and help erase the
stigma against women drivers.
Dubbed “Women! Drive the Future,”
the campaign aims to help drive out gender stereotypes and support the many
meaningful journeys that women embark on every day. It serves as a call-out to
all women to embrace their capability to believe in their capabilities, embrace
their passions, and go where they want to go.
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| Vanessa Ejercito, Shell FuelSave Brand Manager |
“We want to bring together women to
talk about how they take on the road ahead of and how they can use this to take
control of their lives. We at Shell believe that, through this campaign, we
will be able to better understand and subsequently address the needs of every
female driver,” said Vanessa Ejercito, Shell FuelSave Brand Manager.
With a goal to continuously enhance
the journeys of their female customers, Pilipinas Shell has been coming up with
several initiatives such as partnering with the country’s biggest retailer to
create a loyalty program and reward them with exciting shopping opportunities
every time they gas up. Shell stations are also designed to provide a
convenient, refreshing retail experience – from putting up well-appointed
comfort rooms to offering a wide range of healthy products at Shell Select and
Deli2go.
And to strengthen their movement to
empower women, Pilipinas Shell is partnering with the leading driving school
network in the Philippines, A-1 Driving School. With their expertise in
providing driving education, A-1 supports the campaign’s goal to break the
stigma through knowledge sharing.
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| Luna Garcia, A-1 Driving School Business Development Head |
Luna Garcia, A-1 Driving School Business
Development Head, pointed out the dependency of Filipinos in learning how to
drive through informal means. And with the increasing number of female drivers
on the road, they came up with a program to equip female drivers on the road
with proper driving knowledge that will help in proving wrong the stereotypes
placed on them.
The “Women on Wheels” program
tackles road safety—from identifying road signs to changing tires. “We want to
emphasize that there are numerous preventive measures that we can take to
minimize accidents. You start with following the rules, driving defensively,
and ensuring proper vehicle maintenance,” Garcia noted.
“We believe that driving is a skill
that every woman should have. And through this program, we foresee a future
where there will no longer be a distinction of gender but only between an
educated and misinformed driver.”
Racecar driver Michele Bumgarner,
and Baby Barangay members Kelly Misa-Fernandez, Patty Laurel-Filart, and Bianca
Santiago were also present in the Women! Drive the Future launch event held at
Blackbird at the Neilson Tower in Makati City. Joining them as well was Rowie
Abracero, Directress of the Girls Racers club—the first all-female car
enthusiast club in the Philippines. Led by the event host, Riki Flo of Magic
89.9, the women opened the discussion about driving out the stereotypes and
supporting equality among men and women on the road.
Later in the
program, the ladies participated in the hands-on demonstration of A-1 where
they had a refresher on tire changing, dealing with a dead battery, and
performing a lubricant check.
The event is first of three
activations in spreading the call for women to drive the future. Pilipinas
Shell, along with their partner, A-1 aims to flip the stigma against female
drivers and empowering all women across the country with upcoming events in
Cebu and Davao.
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