Company: Puget Sound Energy

Agency: Colehour + Cohen

Timeframe: March - Nov. 2009

In 2008 and into 2009, as the economy soured and green initiatives and public interest in conservation grew, Washington state-based Puget Sound Energy looked to trumpet energy issues and position itself as a trusted resource and advocate for energy efficiency.

The company provides power to more than 100 cities and towns in 11 Washington state counties, serving more than 1.1 million electric customers, and close to 750,000 gas customers. But in 2009, a marketing/communications initiative would both energize and empower the communities it serves far beyond the kilowatts the company provides.

As the state’s oldest energy utility company, its marketing communications techniques were decidedly old-school, says Laura Wilson, PSE program manager of the effort. But that would all change with an integrated program designed to prod community members into being more energy efficient.

To achieve this, the marketing and communications teams at PSE decided to think big: to develop and execute a high-profile customer engagement and education campaign that would partner with the community to reduce energy usage through energy efficient lighting—compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs, specifically.

PSE relied on three separate market research studies to help formulate a comprehensive campaign. (See sidebar for study details.)

“An analysis from a 2008 CFL pilot program showed that customers were only installing 15%-20% of CFL bulbs,” says Wilson. “Many of our customers didn’t know that there’s a lot of other applications for these bulbs.”

Then, continues Wilson, there was the consideration of the economy. “Customers just don’t want to waste a regular bulb—if it still works, why get rid of it?” she says. “We wanted to educate them about the new bulbs, and physically give them new ones to switch their old bulbs.”      

Pedal Power: At PSE’s Rock the Bulb events, consumers could explore the differences between traditional lightbulbs and CFL bulbs. Photo courtesy Colehour + Cohen

To achieve that, PSE tapped Seattle-based PR and social marketing firm Colehour + Cohen (C+C) to help develop and execute a program that would become PSE’s “Rock the Bulb Tour,” an integrated effort that included weekend bulb exchange events, a vast door-to-door CFL bulb distribution effort and an energy-efficiency contest and promotion.

The origins of the rock theme: “That was proposed in the RFP we prepared,” says Bryan Cohen, partner at Colehour + Cohen. “At first we planned to brand just the live events as Rock the Bulb, but then we decided to brand the whole campaign around it.”

PSE’s Rock the Bulb concept used the promise of free CFL bulbs to engage customers in energy efficiency practices; a four-month-long contest for continued customer engagement; and rock festival-like events and door-to-door outreach efforts to engage customers directly with PSE’s efficiency experts.

PSE and C+C came up with the following goals for the campaign:

1. Distribute 400,000 CFL bulbs through events and door-to-door efforts.

2. Engage 12,500 customers through attendance at PSE Rock the Bulb exchange events.

3. Recruit 5,000 customers to expand their energy-efficiency commitment by participating in a contest.

4. Inspire 1,000 volunteers to engage with PSE to deliver bulbs door-to-door in their communities.

To reach these goals, PR would play a major role. “Our No. 1 task was driving participation to the events,” says Rebekah Anderson, corporate communications program director at PSE.

The biggest communications challenge? Getting the word out about the upcoming 16 events in 16 different cities via the community and local media outreach, says Anderson.

ENERGETIC EXECUTION

Colehour + Cohen and PSE developed and executed four key components to drive participation and engage the community. They were:

â–¶ PSE’s Rock the Bulb Tour—Unplugged: The tour ran from from July 7 to Nov. 1, 2009, for PSE customers at select Lowe’s and Ace Hardware stores. Customers could exchange up to 10 incandescent bulbs for free CFL bulbs.

Participants enjoyed energy-themed music (think “Power of Love” by Huey Lewis), snacks and energy-efficiency games.

“These events had to transcend the typical giveaway model,” says Cohen. “If people came to them and exchanged bulbs, that wouldn’t address the larger goal of engaging with folks on energy efficiency.”

â–¶ Home Bulb Delivery: PSE partnered with nonprofit group Project Porchlight to deliver 275,000 CFL bulbs door-to-door and at community events.

â–¶ The Be an Energy Rock Star Contest: PSE secured $45,000 in prizes from their bulb vendor to award to customers who amassed the most points during the promotion period. Customers earned points by exchanging bulbs and participating in activities at a PSE Rock the Bulb Tour event; volunteering with Project Porchlight in their community; reducing their home energy use during the month of October 2009; and recruiting up to 20 friends to participate.

â–¶ Informational Web Site: A campaign Web site was created to publicize the events, allow contest participants to track their points and provide customers with links to PSE’s energy efficiency tips and information.

â–¶ Social Media Push: PSE and C+C created the Golden Bulb contest, in which 20 yellow CFL bulbs were hidden throughout PSE’s service area. Customers who found Golden Bulbs were given a $250 retail partner gift card. Clues were sent several times a day via Twitter, Facebook and a blog (see sidebar for contest tips).

An extensive media relations push was created around those four components. Media efforts included:

• Launch Media Event: Media were invited to the opening event in Bellevue with the city’s mayor and PSE officials in order to see kids from the local YMCA participating in event activities.

• News Advisories and Releases: Issued at launch, before every weekend event and at key milestones. These were followed up with outreach to local reporters.

• Community Paper Outreach: Community papers were pitched on each weekend’s events. They also sent photos to local papers of notable volunteers (mayors, sports stars, etc.) distributing CFL bulbs door-to-door.

• ENERGY STAR Media Event: The EPA’s ENERGY STAR program selected PSE’s Rock the Bulb tour stop as one of four locations in the country for the ENERGY STAR Exhibit House in 2009.

ROCKIN’ RESULTS

All four of the original campaign goals were exceeded:

• 507,796 incandescent bulbs swapped out for CFL bulbs. Installed, these bulbs equal more than 117.3 million kWh of electricity saved.

• Approximately 24,500 PSE customers exchanged bulbs at a PSE Rock the Bulb event—nearly doubling the goal.

• About 7,700 customers signed up for the energy efficiency contest.

• 1,100 volunteers participated in the campaign.

From a media relations standpoint, outreach generated more than 50 placements across print, TV and radio.

Those big numbers indicate the magnitude of the Rock the Bulb effort. “This was a huge campaign,” says Anderson, who adds that seven committees stocked with both C+C and PSE team members helped keep Rock the Bulb under control.

From a manpower standpoint, a core PSE team of 12 worked full-time on the project for six months. Out of C+C’s 13 employees, six worked on the campaign full time at its peak, says Cohen.

ENERGY GLITCHES

As with any monumental campaign, not all was perfect. “Some customers were disappointed that the events weren’t in their communities,” says Wilson. “But there was only so much we could do, because while it’s a small market media-wise, it’s a large geographic area.”

That hiccup aside, the most angst for PSE came just before the first Rock the Bulb event. “With all the advance planning and outreach done, there was still that question in the back of our minds, ‘Will anyone show up?’” says Brad Simcox, PSE’s market manager for retail programs. “But they did, and in droves.” PRN

CONTACT:

Laura Wilson, [email protected]; Bryan Cohen, [email protected]; Rebekah Anderson, [email protected]; Brad Simcox, [email protected].

Market Research Powers Puget Sound’s Strategy

Three separate market research studies helped Puget Sound Energy identify key audiences to reach via its Rock the Bulb energy efficiency campaign. “The research identified two primary audience segments that would be most receptive to changing their energy use behaviors,” says Laura Wilson, PSE program manager for the campaign. Those audiences were:

• Green Idealists: A projected 14% of PSE customers who believe that it is socially responsible to limit energy use and are very educated about environmental issues.

• Practical Idealists: A projected 23% of PSE customers who also believe it is important to limit energy use but are more motivated by the practical reasons to do so (i.e. saving money).

Wilson sees two crucial benefits in conducting such research:

1. “You’re able to craft focused messaging to key audiences,” she says.

2. “You can identify preferred media of diverse populations within your target areas,” says Wilson.

Humor and Hijinks Provide the Sparks For a Successful Contest

PR agency Colehour + Cohen helped Puget Sound Energy run two contests for their Rock the Bulb energy efficiency campaign. According to C+C’s Bryan Cohen, launching social media or product-oriented contests is tough, because of fierce competition for consumers’ attention. Here are five suggestions from Cohen to build contests that will shine:

1. Bring the Funny. Every day millions of people share funny things they heard or saw. You do the same. Find a contest angle that is funny. If someone told you about your contest, would you laugh? How hard? Would you share? Would you forward the link?

2. Win Big. Big prizes get people’s attention. Little prizes are weak. Don’t skimp on the prize. In this economy, money and free stuff go a long way toward getting people’s attention.

3. Must Get Crazy to Win. If your prize is big and you have found a funny hook, people will do crazy stuff to win a contest. If they do crazy stuff, you have a built-in PR story. If it’s really crazy you have an overnight YouTube sensation.

4. Use a Celeb. If celebrities represent your contest via video, performance or social media, it will get more attention. If they are a big enough celebrity, the media might cover it.

5. Build in Check-Ins. if your contest requires skill, create ways that contestants can report their efforts at midpoint. Check-ins are a good way to build momentum and keep people engaged.