MADD Canada

National Newsletter - Summer 2011

Good Hands and Red Ribbons: Exciting Things Happen When We Team Up

MADD Canada and Allstate Canada are continually looking for innovative new ways to work together and strengthen our long-standing partnership.

This was certainly the case in late 2010, when Allstate Canada Agency Managers, Greg Medwid of Stoney Creek, and Dawn Hindle of Hamilton West, met with MADD Canada’s Ontario Chapter Services Manager, Renata Cvitkovic, to discuss how their Agencies could work more closely with MADD Canada in the Hamilton area. This meeting of the minds spawned interesting ideas which started to bear fruit this year.

When the Allstate Agencies signed up with the Hamilton Home and Garden Show in March, they saw a perfect opportunity to engage potential customers while spreading the message about impaired driving to thousands of show attendees.

Allstate contacted MADD Hamilton Chapter President Dave Pidgeon, who enthusiastically donated the use of three sets of Fatal Vision Goggles (which simulate impairment), balloons
and loot bags filled with MADD Canada-themed giveaways for the show. The Allstate Agencies set up a display where people were asked to toss a tennis ball into a bucket 8 feet away. While everyone got the ball into the bucket while not wearing the goggles, only 5% of participants accomplished the simple task with the goggles strapped on. It hammered home the message about impaired driving for everyone who participated.

“Believe it or not, ‘insurance talk’ alone doesn’t always create the frenzy around our booth that we’re looking for,” said Mr. Medwid. “This is a situation where we found an opportunity to create a greater awareness of what our company is about and spread the word about our association with MADD Hamilton,” said Ms. Hindle.

Allstate Canada’s Hamilton Agencies also represented the company by supporting the national launch of MADD Canada’s Campaign 911 in Hamilton, with Mr. Medwid appearing at the launch and speaking about Allstate’s commitment to putting an end to impaired driving through the work with MADD Canada.

We look forward to more examples of interesting and unique partnerships between Allstate Canada and MADD Canada across the country. Great things happen when our two organizations work together.