Qatar, 6 February 2017

ConocoPhillips, proud partner of Qatargas, marked the successful culmination of #MakeItClickQatar – a unique national road safety drive launched in collaboration with BMW Qatar, at a grand ceremony held in the Alfardan Automobiles showroom in West Bay, Doha. The event was attended by Todd Creeger, president of ConocoPhillips, Ihab Allam, general manager of Alfardan Automobiles, BMW Importer in Qatar along with other distinguished guests and members of the press.

In line with the strong safety values of both entities, the community-driven campaign was aimed at raising awareness on road safety to counteract the rising incidence of traffic accidents. By channelizing the use of both traditional and social media platforms, #MakeItClickQatar reached out to a broad demographic of residents, to positively reinforce the use of seatbelts and usher a long-term behavioral change among motorists in the country.

At the ceremony, Ms. Rona Salazar was announced as the winner of the brand new BMW 3 Series as part of the campaign’s exciting Instagram movement that invited users to share a photograph or video selfie of them wearing seatbelts in a parked vehicle on the @MakeItClickQatar account, with the hashtag #MakeItClickQatar. Rona was among the five shortlisted candidates randomly selected by a lucky draw was held early January. She was presented with the grand prize following a fun contest on stage, where each participant was given a key to unlock the car, but with only one being the right key.

With the support of 53 social media Ambassadors, the campaign has reached an estimate of 800,000 people on Instagram only. With over 1000 incredibly unique, funny, creative and talented posts submitted on Instagram, the hashtag has garnered a rising number of followers and continues to trend both online and offline. The account has reached over 1 million people on Instagram and received over 2.2 million impressions, in addition to 255,561 interactions. During the time, 5 radio jingles were also composed and produced by over 15 internationally renowned artists as a friendly reminder for motorists to buckle up. The jingle videos received over 180,000 views since their release online.

Commenting on the success of the campaign, Todd Creeger, president of ConocoPhillips, said: “We are extremely proud and ecstatic of the positive feedback the campaign has received right from day one. This was very much a community-driven campaign, and we are grateful to our army of influencers, journalists and just everyone who cared about road safety of the country, for getting on-board with us and sharing this movement.”

“Seatbelts save lives – is a proven fact, and hence, we wanted to remind people about the significance of one simple click. We know we cannot achieve this alone. However, we believe in the power of collaboration, and it is through these community engagements that we feel we can make a difference. The support we have received is overwhelming. People have whole-heartedly shared some of the most creative selfies with their seatbelts on. It’s amazing to see families with kids – all buckled up to help support the initiative,” he added.

On his part, Ihab Allam, general manager of Alfardan Automobiles, BMW Importer in Qatar, said: “We are delighted to team up for this important campaign, and help trigger a positive change among the community. As a leading automobile dealership in the country, road safety has always been one of the guiding principles of our business. We are extremely pleased to present the BMW 3 Series as a token of appreciation for those actively participating in the drive. The brand new model epitomizes new standards of safety, while ensuring the comfort of passengers at all times. We are hopeful that the campaign has inspired people to drive more responsibly.”

Launched nation-wide on December, 2016, the Make it Click Qatar campaign came to a close with the year-end. However, the safety trend that it has initiated continues to click with residents, making the wearing of seatbelts a regular habit.

The Instagram account @MakeItClickQatar will remain active. Residents are invited to participate by posting their #MakeItClickQatar selfies to drive the movement forward. 

-Ends- 

About ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips is the world’s largest independent E&P company based on production and proved reserves. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ConocoPhillips had operations and activities in 20 countries, $94 billion of total assets, and approximately 14,900 employees as of Sept. 30, 2016. Production averaged 1,560 MBOED for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2016, and proved reserves were 8.2 billion BOE as of Dec. 31, 2015. For more information, go to www.conocophillips.com.

About Alfardan Automobiles
Alfardan Automobiles is the exclusive and official importer in Qatar for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce cars. With conveniently located showrooms in West Bay and Suhaim bin Hamad, and unrivalled after sales and service facilities featuring the most advanced service and diagnostic technologies, Alfardan Automobiles and staff are committed to delivering, not just the ultimate driving experience, but also the ultimate ownership experience. 

For Questions please contact: 
Ahmad Rabah
Public Relations 
ADabisc
+974 74785678
ahmad.rabah@adabisc.com

Sarah Mroueh                                                                                 
Public Affairs & Communications Manager
ConocoPhillips Qatar
+974 55560492
Sarah.A.Mroueh@conocophillips.com

Hanan Khalil
Public Relations & Communications Executive 
Alfardan Automobiles
+974 44208615
hmourad@alfardan.com.qa   

© Press Release 2017