1999 Platinum PR Honorable Mention
The poet Joyce Kilmer claimed, "I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree." But when he penned those words in 1919, much of the United States was undeveloped, and
electricity was still a novelty. Although people still feel as strongly about the beauty of trees, they also rely on electricity. And trees and power lines do not mix well when
electricity is threatened by trees. Trees must sometimes give up limbs. The problem is the utility companies who trim the branches to protect the power lines lose the PR battle
when residents, especially in urban areas, express anger over "butchered" trees.
Illinois Power provides electricity to a 15,000-square mile territory. To provide safe and reliable service, the company trims about 250,000 trees growing beneath or near
power lines each year. In order to minimize opposition to this task, IP had to increase customers' understanding of the need to keep power lines clear of trees. The power company
also wanted to encourage legislative and regulatory discussions regarding local ordinances that were creating a patchwork of various restrictions.
Growing Solutions
The company decided a new approach was needed. It started at the most basic level, with a change in terminology - instead of using the phrase "tree trimming," which has
emotional overtones for some people, IP switched to "line clearance" to describe the tree management program.
In spring 1999, IP rolled out "Growing Solutions," a multi-faceted campaign to share information with customers through company outlets and outside businesses with an interest
in the core message: Don't plant inappropriate (that is, too tall) trees near or beneath power lines. "There was so much good support for what we were saying, but the customers
were only getting it from us," explains Molly Hall, communications specialist in IP's public affairs office, "so the question was, what high-profile third party might join
us?"
The utility approached the Illinois Nurserymen's Association and suggested a partnership through the group's Certified Nursery Professional (CNP) program. IP would provide
educational materials, such as brochures and pamphlets, posters and a company-produced video; in return, association members who were CNPs would offer a 10% discount to customers
as an incentive to buy suitable trees and shrubs for planting near power lines. The electric company also joined forces with the National Arbor Day Foundation, which provided an
informational insert to be included in energy bills mailed to IP's more than 500,000 customers. "It's one thing for us to explain things to people, it's another for the National
Arbor Day Foundation to put an insert in [customers'] bills once a year," Hall says.
The company also set out to create greater awareness of existing partnerships and demonstration programs it had with foresters and arborists. It held a news conference at
Illinois State University's Fell Arboretum "Utilitrees" Collection, where more than 70 line-appropriate trees could be seen growing directly beneath power lines. The program
provided informational materials and videos to libraries, schools and regional IP offices, and employees were invited to speak by interested neighborhood groups. The program was
written up in the customer newsletter, Powerlines, which is included with monthly bills. Finally, customers were encouraged to make use of a 24-hour toll-free customer
service number for information, and IP's Web site described the program and identified participating nurseries.
Results Are Taking Root
Most of the major newspapers in IP's service area published lengthy stories, several with pictures, while dozens of smaller newspapers ran the company's news release in its
entirety. Hall estimates that print alone provided more than a million gross impressions. Several radio stations ran stories, in some cases inviting local IP employees to
participate in call-in shows, and at least four television stations ran full reporter packages.
While it will take years for the program to flower, there are other ways to gauge results in progress. The number of nurseries participating doubled between the spring and fall
planting seasons, and the nurserymen's association asked if non-certified members could also participate.
Perhaps most significant: the number of tree controversies declined sharply. In 1998, IP fielded more than 200 media calls on local tree fights and proposed ordinances. In
1999, there were only two media inquiries, involving two small actions in one community. Illinois lawmakers approved a bill on "vegetation management" and the Illinois Commerce
Commission began work on statewide line clearance guidelines.
"For Arbor Day this year, we had events in almost every service region within our territory, ranging from tree planting activities in town squares, city parks and schoolyards
[to] a community tree giveaway, and in another we dedicated a new classroom" Hall says. "We really achieved a lot of understanding, particularly in the media. It goes back to
the idea that people who were...on the outside looking in, they'd have a different perception."
(Molly Hall, Illinois Power, 217/424-7392, [email protected]) Illinova, the parent company of Illinois Power, merged with Dynegy, Inc., in February
2000. The transaction created a company with a total market cap of more than $10 billion and projected annual revenues of $22 billion from energy operations for more than 1.4
million retail customers in North America and Europe.
About Illinois Power
Founded: 1923
Communications staff: 6
1999 Revenues: $1.9 billion
Type of tree you would be: A sugar
maple - if it's planted in the right place. (Molly Hall)