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| Racecar driver Michele Bumgarner during tire change activity. |
In
celebration of International Women’s Month and Pilipinas Shell’s 105 years in
the Philippines, the global leader in power and energy is launching 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.
“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.
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| 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, SM Advantage, to create a loyalty program and reward them with exciting shopping opportunities every time they gas up. Shell stations are also designed to provide convenient, refreshing retail experience – from putting up well-appointed comfort rooms to offering a wide range of healthy products at Shell Select and Deli2go.
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.
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.
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| Luna Garcia, A-1 Driving School Business Development Head. |
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.”
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Women!
Drive The Future ambassadors Bianca Santiago-Reinoso, Kelly Misa-Fernandez,
Patty Laurel-Filart, Girl Racers Club Directress Rowie Abracero, and Michele Bumgarner
along with Shell FuelSave Brand Manager Vanessa Ejercito and A-1 Driving School
Business Development Head Luna Garcia
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Racecar driver Michele Bumgarner, and Baby Barangay members Kelly Misa-Fernandez, Patty Laurel-Filart, and Bianca Santiago-Reinoso 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 amongst 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.
About Arabelle Jimenez
Photo credit: Vincent Garrucho
