Safeco Wins Award for PR Campaign

Seattle-based Safeco received the Silver Anvil Award, sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America. The Silver Anvil, which recognizes outstanding achievement in strategic public relations planning and implementation, was presented during the Silver Anvil Awards Evening held June 5, 2008, in New York City.

Safeco received the 2008 Silver Anvil Award for its Teensurance campaign in the Marketing Consumer Services-Technology category. Teensurance offers a set of online tools to encourage safe driving, including a GPS-based device — the Safety Beacon — that can notify parents when a driver exceeds a pre-set speed limit or travels outside predetermined boundaries. Teensurance allows parents to have positive dialogue with teens about the responsibilities that come with a driver’s license.

David M. Monfried, senior vice president of corporate communications, said, “Safeco’s research and development group, Open Seas, developed Teensurance to help parents and teens manage one of life’s most challenging times. We’re pleased that our effort in spreading the word has helped change the way families talk about being safe behind the wheel.”

Safeco enlisted the help of the public relations agency Porter Novelli to help develop the Teensurance communications plan.