Drivers Can Save Hundreds of Dollars on Gasoline
With Alliance to Save Energy’s New, Interactive
Drive $marter Challenge Website, Campaign

Washington, DC, May 20, 2008—Drivers can find out exactly how many hundreds of dollars they can save on gasoline with their specific vehicles by taking six easy driving and maintenance actions on a new, interactive Drive $marter Challenge website and campaign launched today by the Alliance to Save Energy, The Wal-Mart Foundation, and 16 other partners.

Based on the Alliance's consumer market research with demographics hit hardest by high gasoline costs, the Drive $marter Challenge campaign goal is to help consumers lower their gasoline costs and usage through fuel-efficiency driving and maintenance tips that add up to hundreds of dollars of savings.  The website provides extensive money-saving gas tips in English and Spanish, helpful resources, and discount coupons for vehicle maintenance.

Drive $marter tips are cited when possible with specific dollar and/or percentage savings.  Consumers in market research told the Alliance that this knowledge would be a major factor in their decision making and that they haven't seen tips like this before. 

To find out up front exactly how much they can save with six actions— or any one of those actions separately—drivers just enter their specific vehicle data (make/model/year/cylinders) on the interactive website. 

Drivers are encouraged to take the Drive $marter Challenge—take 1-6 actions to realize specific savings.  Savings will be added to a running total of savings on the website of all who have taken the challenge—$, gallons, and CO2 emissions.  Participants are asked to encourage others they know to do the same.

A Broadband Media Website—www.DWJTV.com/DriveSmarterChallenge  —features downloadable video, audio, images, and other campaign elements including: 

• Broadcast-quality B-roll footage available in all formats illustrating some 20 money-saving driving and vehicle maintenance gas tips, highway and in-town traffic, gas prices, screenshots of the Drive $marter Challenge website, expert sound bites and generic satellite media tour. 
• Audio news releases in English and Spanish. 
• 5 humorous, laugh-out-loud radio PSAs (3 in English and 2 in Spanish, all in:60 and :30)—Baby Talk, Honey I'm Home, Tipping Point, The Mechanic, and Hard of Hearing.   
• Bios, photos, fact sheets, Drive $marter Challenge logo, campaign partner logos, screenshots.
• Driving and Saving (Manejando y Ahorrando) downloadable song in the hot reggaeton Latino beat.

The campaign will utilize a number of other communications tools and significant consumer outreach tactics that will be multiplied through participation of 18 total partners.

Funding from The Wal-Mart Foundation has made possible the Alliance's first consumer campaign focused totally on transportation.  The Foundation selected the Alliance from among seven nonprofits to conduct an enterprising national consumer transportation campaign. 

The Alliance and The Wal-Mart Foundation have brought together 16 other diverse nonprofit, governmental, trade associations, and companies as campaign partners to dramatically expand the reach of the campaign.  Many will be co-branding and distributing millions of English and Spanish tip cards.  The National Association of Counties will be challenging counties to challenge each other to obtain the greatest number of sign-ups/actions. 

Partners include:  Alliance to Save Energy, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers,

American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association, American Petroleum Institute, AutoZone, Car Care Council, ExxonMobil, League of American Bicyclists, National Association of Counties,

National Association of State Energy Officials, National Independent Auto Dealers Association, National Low Income Energy Consortium (NLIEC), Natural Resources Defense Council, U.S Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Safety-Kleen, U.S. EPA’s SmartWay®, and The Wal-Mart Foundation.