 |      |
       |
 |
| |||
| |||
| | ||
ENERGY BUCKS
A Message Unheard Until We Turned Up the Heat
More
than 800,000 Massachusetts residents are eligible for programs that can help
them save on energy costs (fuel assistance, discount energy rates, and energy
efficiency services), yet less than 40 percent of those who are eligible take
advantage of these programs. In 2003, several of the Commonwealth’s
investor-owned utility companies banded together for a pilot program called
“Energy Bucks™.” The group hired Solomon McCown (SM&)
and their marketing communications partner, 360 Marketing Strategy and Communications
(360) to create an integrated marketing and communications campaign to raise
awareness of and participation in the programs they sponsor to help eligible
consumers save on energy costs. Other partners in the collaboration include
the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN) and local Community Action
Programs (CAPs).
Each season presents new challenges to achieving the overarching goal of connecting with our key audiences and heightening awareness of income-eligible programs and services through press events, grassroots outreach, and new partnerships. In 2006, we conducted a Strategic Messaging Session (SMS) with the Energy Bucks Sponsors to further explore the obstacles in engaging the attention of these hard to reach populations and possible barriers to enrollment. As a result of the SMS, we refined key messages, reprioritized audiences and conduits to reach them and shared the new messaging platform across all sponsors to ensure consistency. The proof was in the numbers: visits to the Energy Bucks website increased significantly, as did the number of organizations we partnered with and media coverage. We secured stories in every targeted community across the Commonwealth, totaling more than twenty million media impressions.
For the 2007 – 2008 campaign, we focused on further engaging state legislators and state and local officials to let their constituents know that help is available for everyone who is eligible, and to raise awareness about energy efficiency. We hosted events in key communities across the state, including weatherization demonstrations at the homes of Energy Bucks’ recipients with state representatives, senators and cabinet secretaries and utility representatives rolling up their sleeves to blow insulation and caulk windows, personally ensuring families would be comfortable throughout the winter. In addition to press events, we participated in grassroots outreach activities, and organized a State House briefing in February hosted by state Sen. Bruce Tarr.
As a result of our integrated campaign in 2007-2008, we secured 100 media
placements in print, broadcast and on-line outlets across the state. Traffic
on the Energy Bucks website increased 47% over the previous year and most
importantly we reached more residents than ever before with the Energy Bucks
message.
