Chart topper.

A song written for an ALLSTATE commercial cracked the 2007 Billboard Top 100 list.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

From Where You Are was written by Jason Wade, a singer in the band Lifehouse, for a 60-second spot promoting the insurer's safe driving program for teenagers. The commercial first ran after an episode of Friday Night Lights on NBC in October 2007 that spotlighted a teen driving theme.

On Nov. 6, 2007, From Where You Are was made available on iTunes. It sold enough to hit No. 40 on the Billboard charts for the week ended Nov. 24.

The Allstate "Tail Lights" commercial features a line of cars filled with teens driving over a horizon. The voice-over by actor Dennis Haysbert says, "Every year, nearly 6,000 teenagers go for a drive and never come back. Just talking to them can change that."

The melancholy ballad was inspired by Wade's experience of having a teen friend who died after falling asleep at the wheel.

Lisa Cochrane, vice president of integrated marketing communications, said teen driving safety always has been a part of the heritage of Allstate. The television, online and print ads were originally created to target parents and began running last June.

"The teenage audience is a crucial audience for us," Cochrane said." No other hazard [than vehicle accidents] claims more teen lives. This was a natural place for us to address it."

Allstate has seen a "huge increase" in visits to www.allstate.com/teen, its Web site where videos of the ad and of Wade in the studio can be seen.

Insurance Marketing is compiled by Senior Associate Editor Lori Chordas.