E.T., phone your agent. Madison Avenue is calling

E.T., the anthropomorphic alien whose exile whose exile on Earth and journey home were chronicled in the popular 1982 film “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial,” will be the focus for a coming campaign by Arnell Group Brand Consulting in New York for Progressive Automobile Insurance.

The campaign, which is intended to sell safe driving rather than insurance policies, will be broad based, ranging from a 60-second commercial to appear before the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXIII and materials for driver’s education courses to internet advertising and an “E.T. Safety Club” for children.

“It’s natural to use E.T. as a teacher, a champion for driving safety issues,” said Bob McMillan, marketing director at the Progressive Corporation in Cleveland, the nation’s fifth largest auto insurer. “E.T. is, after all, a progressive being,” he added, laughing, “a higher life form.”

The campaign, which begins on Jan. 9 with teaser television spots in football playoff games, represents the most widespread marketing effort involving E.T. Despite the huge, sustained appeal of the film – it ranks among the 10-highest-grossing movies ever and still sells steadily on home video – E.T. has been seen only sparingly in ads and promotions or on licensed merchandise.

As such, the campaign is emblematic of the increasing cross-pollenization between the popular and commercial cultures, particularly in terms of so-called classic characters. Among others that are joining or rejoining E.T. in the commercial realm are Eloise, the mischievous 6-year-old living at the Plaza Hotel, and the myriad characters like the Grinch and the Cat in the Hat created by Dr. Seuss.

“You can get to a point where you cross the line, over merchandise, use the character in ways that don’t seem appropriate,” said Brad Globe, marketing head for Amblin Entertainment in Universal City, Calif. “Ultimately, the consumer decides.” Amblin, owned by Steven Spielberg, co-produced the film with the Universal Pictures unit of what is now the Seagram Company.

In this instance, Mr. Globe said, he and Mr. Spielberg were receptive to the campaign concept when it was presented by Arnell and Progressive in late summer because “E.T.’s becoming the ambassador for highway and traffic safety, preventing accidents, buckling seat belts, fighting drinking and driving,” was an idea “that isn’t exploitive, that stays true to who the character is.”

Mr. Spielberg, who was also the director of “E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial,” said in a statement: “E.T. holds a special place in so many hearts. I’m extremely pleased that the values symbolized by E.T. will be used to aid and address the issue of safe driving.”

Those concerns were also paramount among executives at Progressive, Mr. McMillan said. “We have to be sensitive to the way people feel about the character,” Mr. McMillan said, “and make sure E.T. is seen working on what’s an appropriate mission for him.” “A safety message that’s fresh and relevant, especially to kids, is a great way to use the power the character has,” he added, “and makes it a perfect association for us.”

Amblin signed a multiyear contract for undisclosed terms, Mr. McMillan said, giving the insurer rights to use E.T. in the campaign as part of efforts to “increase the public’s awareness of our products and services.” The budget for the campaign is also not disclosed.

When the film was released, there had been what was for that time a comprehensive merchandising campaign, which included E.T. books, video games, clothing, dolls and cereal. And there was, of course, the bonanza enjoyed by the Hershey Foods Corporation, which in a landmark product placement deal agreed to provide Reese’s Pieces as the candy used by a boy to cement a friendship with the space creature.

Since then, there have been sporadic E.T. campaigns, involving the Special Olympics; the Pepsi-Cola Company unit of PepsiCo Inc., for the 1988 release of the home video, and Sears, Roebuck & Company, for broadcasts of the film in the early 1990’s. The character also continues to promote the Universal theme parks in California and Florida. “We’ve been very selective, very particular, over the years, doing only limited marketing programs with E.T.,” Mr. Globe said, because “Steven at a certain point just decided that because of how special he feels toward the character and film not to do more merchandising with E.T.”

“And there was also more of a focus on other movies we were making,” he added, like the “Indiana Jones,” “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park” films, which were “pretty aggressively marketed” and generated multibillion-dollar merchandising payoffs. But now, Mr. Globe said, “we’re trying to do some things to keep E.T. out there in front of people,” especially for “a whole new generation of kids with a lot of different characters vying for their attention.” The campaign helps “to bring back E.T., alive and fresh,” he added, “doing positive things.” The campaign will coincidentally revive E.T. four months before the return of other famous space characters: the “Star Wars” contingent, who are being brought back by George Lucas in the first of several new films.

The E.T. campaign features an icon in the style of a traffic sign, created by Arnell, which became the agency for Progressive in August. The sign, in yellow, depicts a drawing of E.T., his familiar lighted digit upraised, wearing a seat belt. “Buckle up,” it urges. “E.T. is a character of such fame and power, about healing and love,” said Peter Arnell, chairman at Arnell. “He’s a metaphor for traffic safety.” “If you can get kids to buckle up early on,” he added, “it could significantly reduce the death rate.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is trying to raise the percentage of seat belt use by 2005 to 90 percent from 68 percent.

The campaign will be part of Progressive’s sponsorship of the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIII, to be televised on Jan. 31 by the Fox Broadcasting Company unit of the News Corporation. The trade publication Adweek reported that Progressive paid $5 million to become a National Football League sponsor. There will also be “an extensive Internet presence,” Mr. McMillan said, on the Progressive web site.