Everyday Brits are allowed out at last. Travelling in cars with kids is not one of the joys that has been reawakened. Noisy kids, fighting kids, exuberant kids, restless kids whinging kids – all kids can be distractions to parents on the road. Engine Creative has released a new set of audio stories to entertain kids on long car journeys on behalf of Churchill insurance.
The series was originally planned early this year to help parents cope with long drives during the summer holidays. They’re aimed at four to seven-year-olds and integrated mindfulness techniques into their stories to quieten things down. As lockdown continued far longer than was hoped, they were launched in June to alleviate pressure for homeschooling parents.
Now that long drives are possible, a second series has been launched. Its stories are designed to help kids reconnect with the world after months and months of lockdown.
As was the first series, the five new Little Chapters of Chill stories were written by top kids’ author, Sue Pickford, and narrated once again by Giovanna Fletcher. This series also includes special guests. Popular TV presenters, Emma Willis and Angelica Bell, added their vocal talents to the job of keeping little minds calm and occupied.
The latest escapades of Churchie, the books’ main character, include helping a peacock embrace his feathers, befriending a cheeky monkey and helping a lost child. All of the stories are designed to help kids connect with nature and think about the world around them. Each audiobook is accompanied with techniques to help kids practise mindfulness, adjust and reset, whether at home or short journeys in the car, such as breathing exercises that help your body relax, listening techniques to improve awareness of the world around you.
Kirsty Hoad, head of marketing at Churchill, commented, “Following the success of the first series of Little Chapters of Chill, we knew we wanted to use the platform again this year, but to update it with stories that children can not only relate to but find a sense of escapism with. With the return back to schools imminent, the second series is really timely and hopefully will help smooth the transition back to ‘normal’ life for children – and make it as stress-free for parents as possible.”
Richard Nott, creative director for Churchill at Engine Creative, added, “As a dad to two young girls, it’s been especially rewarding to return for volume two of Little Chapters of Chill. The stories have been designed with those long car journeys in mind. And my own family will definitely be hitting the play button next time we hit the road.”
Each of the stories in Little Chapters of Chill runs between 10-12 minutes. The chapters were released on August 25 across all major streaming and audio platforms with an accompanying social media campaign running for four weeks.
The series has already been picked up and used as a mindfulness resource by schools, councils, libraries, and even the NHS. It became the #1 podcast in Apple podcasts’ family & kids chart, with over 110K listeners within a year and was awarded a Gold at the 2020 DMA Awards for Best Use of Voice or Audio.
Credits:
Agency: Engine Creative
Chief Creative Officer: Billy Faithfull
Creative Director: Richard Nott & David Dearlove
Art Director: Gabriella Kohli
Copywriter: Nick Coates
Account Management: Louise Hayward, Chris Moger & Gabriella Ghigi
Project Director: Sophie Richaume
Strategy Director: Duncan McLauchlan & Georgina Murray-Burton
Senior Strategist: David Blackett, Gemma Glover & Katherine Morris
Designers: Marina Suprunova, Brandon Falconer, Jamie Thodesen, Jesal Varsani, Paul Kennerley & Matt Fenn
Production Company: Listen
Executive Producer: Suzy Grant
Producer: Madeleine Hickish
Commercial Director: Josh Adley
Account Executive: Jessica Lipkin
Sound Engineer: Jonathan Last
