Press Releases

Technician Selected as Face of TV Ad Campaign

COLUMBUS, Ohio - September 2, 2009 - After years of providing the best in vehicle glass repair and replacement for central Iowans, Erik Schumacher, a Safelite AutoGlass® technician from Des Moines, is going prime time. Schumacher was selected among Safelite technicians from across the U.S. to become the American "spokestech" for the company's national television advertising campaign, which will start in October.

Sixteen technicians applied to star in the ad, but that did not include Schumacher. Instead, his general manager entered the technician without telling him. "He told me to expect a phone call from an ad agency," Schumacher said. "I was pretty surprised." After a phone interview with the agency, Schumacher was asked to submit a homemade audition video. "My wife and I had a lot of fun with the video," said Schumacher. "I didn't think they would take it seriously." But when he got the offer to be one of three finalists flown to Safelite's Columbus corporate headquarters for screen tests, Schumacher started to think that he just might have a chance. After final screen tests, Schumacher was ultimately chosen as the technician who would demonstrate how a chip in a windshield can turn into a crack by going over a speed bump.

Safelite's TV campaign comes from the advertising best practice developed by its parent company, Belron®. This advertising model has proven effective in eight other Belron®-owned companies around the world, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The spots, consistent in all eight countries, feature actual vehicle glass technicians demonstrating how chips can turn into cracks, and walking the viewer through the benefits of vehicle glass repair. The U.S. spots were shot over two days in Columbus.

The ads will be shown in very heavy rotation for two weeks, a strategy Safelite leaders are confident will serve to dramatically increase brand awareness. It is estimated that some 75 percent of adults age 25 to 54 may potentially see the spot 12 times during its run.

"Through proven success of the Belron TV ad model elsewhere, we anticipate that the campaign will cause marked gains in our brand's growth," said Tom Feeney, president and CEO of Belron US, parent company of Safelite. "We are hopeful that the U.S. ads will make Safelite not only a trusted name, but a household name as well."

To better service its customers, Safelite intends to hire a significant number of qualified technicians and repair specialists before the October ad rollout.

Safelite will be hiring across the country. Further, Safelite has purchased 295 vans and 300 HHRs (retro-styled compact station wagons) from General Motors and is adding 295 repair kits to its inventory in efforts to support equip the larger workforce.

Schumacher has been with the company for 10 years. Despite his new celebrity, he intends on continuing to his role as a Safelite technician. He'll just be a much better known one. "This has been a great opportunity," he said "It will be really interesting to see the ad when it comes out, because so much work went into it. I'll never watch TV the same again."

About Safelite AutoGlass®
Safelite AutoGlass®, founded in 1947, is the nation's leading provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, providing mobile service to more than 90 percent of the U.S. population in all 50 states. A subsidiary of Columbus, Ohio-based Belron® US, Safelite AutoGlass® serves more than 3.7 million customers each year through its company-owned operations. For more information, visit safelite.com.

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