Flex Alert
CASE STUDY
Government & Public Utilities
Challenge:
The California utility/energy managers have expressed deep concern about power shortages and blackouts. As a result the statewide “Flex Alert” campaign was reinstated – a program in which consumers voluntarily conserve energy when supplies reach critically low levels.
Insights:
- Consumers suffering through a fourth year of recession do not want to take directions from state authorities that would add even more restrictions and inconveniences to their lives
- Promote efficiency while still reaching California’s increasingly diverse populations (especially affected Hispanic and Vietnamese households)
- The media campaign needed to introduce a positive “we know what to do” message to overcome the public’s resistance while emphasize the all-important role the public plays in preventing blackouts
- The campaign also needed the ability to shift resources from “education” to “take action now” within 24 hours to effectively meet energy challenges
Solutions:
- Aggressively negotiate with traditional and digital media to overcome inventory issues and ensure that Californians know that “Flex Alerts” are equivalent to states of emergency, thereby placing special burdens on everyone to support the effort
- Secure a significant value-added focus on “Flex Alerts” by having media partners agree in advance to sign letters of agreement, thus locking in their commitments for additional spots, announcements, news cut-ins, billboards, scrolls, banner ads, social media push-outs, etc.
Success:
- On Day One, YouTube users viewed the spots 13,000 times resulting in a CTR rate of .85
- Thanks to skilled and effective negotiations Revolution Media team contributed more than $900,000 in value-added media units to the working budget
- Additionally, media partners guaranteed that more than 14,000,000 online/mobile impressions will be executed at no charge via social media, email and texts if/when “Flex Alerts” occur
