Year 2 Joint Consumer Action Plan Outline

YEAR 2 JOINT CONSUMER ACTION PLAN OUTLINE

SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Customer Engagement Goals

(Decision 16-03-029)
Vision.All Californians will be engaged as partners in the state’s energy efficiency, demand-side management, and clean-energy efforts by becoming fully informed of the importance of energy efficiency and other demand-side efforts and their opportunities to act. Statewide ME&O should serve as a lead generator for local and regional programs and drive consumers to directly take actions to reduce or manage energy use in other ways.
Long-term goal.Statewide ME&O will lead consumers to products, services, and rates that empower all Californians to take actions that will lead to energy use, higher energy efficiency, and the adoption of demand-side solutions including customer-owned renewable energy technologies.
Short-term goal. Energy Upgrade California is an integrated, umbrella statewide ME&O effort that provides California residents and small-business owners with information about energy concepts, programs, services, rates, and benefits of taking action so that all Californians are empowered to 1) understand their energy use, the opportunities available for them to act, and the benefits of their action, and 2) take well-informed action to better manage their energy use.

Customer Engagement Goals

As stated in the Five-Year ME&O Strategic Roadmap in Section 6.1, because the statewide customer engagement effort is primarily delivering marketing communications, measurable outcomes of this effort will be Awareness and Intent (to act). These critical objectives lay the foundation for behavior shifts; attitudes and perceptions shift prior to behaviors and actions. With finite resources, DDB is focusing on the most critical needs of the statewide customer engagement campaign.

Year 2Objectives:

Continue increasing awareness of the initiative with mass-reach media tactics.
Reinforce the familiarity of the brand and educate California residents and small businesses by keeping the initiative top of mind and refining delivery to specific audiences and regions with relevant messaging.
Encourage people to learn more and participate in the program with refined tactics (based on findings about each audience segment’s specific motivators) based on prior-year campaign learnings.

Integrating customer engagement with Rate Reform:

Acknowledging energy efficiency customer engagement and rate reform are two separate initiatives, Energy Upgrade California will intersect and adjust as the latter campaign gets off the ground, as appropriate.

Year 1 Learnings

Campaign Objectives

Learnings / Implications
The re-launched campaign raised awareness, familiarity and favorability of EUC among Californians, yet many people are still unsure who is backing EUC. / Continue to drive awareness of EUC and build perception of the initiative as a state authority on energy conservation.
When CPUC backs EUC efforts, the movement can gain greater momentum. Seek to further those engagements.
Eclipse efforts were a huge success; media helped double web traffic that brought lasting impact. / We can raise awareness about EUC and energy management by creating excitement around campaign initiatives and leveraging existing cultural or social events/opportunities

Media Channel Selection

Learnings / Implications
Stronger lift in brand attributes was seen among people who were exposed to the message across 2+ channels. / Look for additional ways to reach our target across channels, while broadening our digital footprint to create more opportunities for channel overlap and survey recruitment.
Print and outdoor proved to be successful, driving lift across metrics. / Continue to invest in these channels and consider broader general market target.
Early indicators of segment specific targeting and segment specific actions have shown positive momentum. / Continue segment specific targeting/messaging, identifying areas where we increase targeting.

Digital Formats

Learnings / Implications
Premium ad placement and sponsored buys drove awareness and association with the state of California. / Secure premium inventory and sponsored buys where we have a platform to say, “Brought To You by Energy Upgrade California.”
While Paid Search is the strongest driver of web traffic, all search activity is performed in English. Adding non-branded search terms helped boost traffic. / Continue to add paid search terms (non-branded) to deliver increases in traffic and grow EUC’s search share of voice, among both English and Spanish targets. Continue to coordinate with the PA’s to ensure there is no overlap of non-branded terms.
Mobile is the preferred platform for Session Visits but Desktop delivers the highest conversion. / Look for optimization opportunities to drive conversions on mobile.

Multicultural

Learnings / Implications
Video completion rates are strong among the Hispanic audience while Asian language speaking audiences aren’t engaging as much with digital. / Continue to leverage in-language video within digital and social.
Evaluate other media channels to reach Asian audiences.
Within social, Spanish content drives stronger VTR/VCR, indicating there is more time spent with content from Spanish speaking audiences. / Continue with a 70/30 budget split for English/Spanish to further leverage our reach with the Spanish speaking audience living in California.
For Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese-language materials, our brand study showed that print played a key role in increasing aided awareness, unaided awareness and favorability and positively shifted familiarity. / Continue to invest in current channel while exploring opportunities to expose Asian languages to other channels.

Learnings / Implications
Aligning the campaign with larger, culturally relevant angles has proven the most fruitful in terms of ROI and garnering interest outside of energy media. / Increased reach with the trifecta of paid media + CPUC support + community amplification.
In addition to energy beat reporters, PR will also begin targeting Lifestyle/Feature editors and reporters with new and unique angles that focus on the human interest energy-related stories.
Given the opportunity in Y2 to activate an eco-celebrity, this will also allow the chance to reach out to consumer facing outlets that have not been tapped given the subject matter.
Example: Publications that cater to celebrity news may be a new target for Y2 as Ian Somerhalder is integrated in to the campaign in an authentic way.

Community Outreach

Learnings / Implications
Collaboration with PAs has yielded positive engagement with local communitiesand has been successful at establishing EUC as distinct brand and messenger. / Seek to further relationship with PAs and continue to leverage their existing ties with local communities and organizations to aid coalition development.
Events and in-person engagements yield the most tangible, direct benefits for CBO in relation to EUC. / Continue to collaborate with PAs on events and create events that have relevance and significance to campaign initiatives in Y2.
CBOs remain interested in engaging with EUC, yet sometimes lack the structural wherewithal to engage with us. / Explore the possibility of building a web and offline structure of events, EUC digital platforms, and other tangible engagements to yield greater quality engagement from our CBO partners.
Web-based elements have been a key component to CBO and membership engagement. / Work to create additional communication and messaging to achieve brand elevation, specifically tailored to CBOs.
The importance of local elected officials has been made clear during our community engagement,and we have found they are the gatekeepers for so many elements of sustainability programs in individual cities. / Focus on a larger reach to local elected officials to create greater awareness with key stakeholders.

Priorities in Year 2

Per D. 16-03-029:“Topics that are ranked as a high priority through this process will be the subject of a one-year ‘Joint Consumer Action Plan.’”
Working towards greater coordination and integration with all Parties, including Consulted, Supportive parties

To be finalized during January 2018 meeting
List of priorities:
Behaviors (free)
Energy Management Technologies
Lighting
Home Energy Checkup/ Advisor
RRR/TOU
ESA
Energy Efficient Appliances
Home Upgrade Program/Whole House
HVAC
Zero Net Energy
Rooftop Solar
Electric Vehicles
CARE
Demand Response/AC Cycling
Climate Credit
Community Choice Aggregation

Year 2 at a Glance

Initial campaign results show positive movement in both unaided awareness of the Energy Upgrade California brand (meeting our yearly goal within 4 months of campaign launch) and intent to take energy saving actions.
Californians have greater awareness of ourprioritizedenergy saving actions than they did before the campaign launched, and we will further lean into highlighting specific energy management actions that they can take in 2018.

SECTION 2: AUDIENCES

Audience: All Californians.
The campaign will leverage 5 languages as channel/audience specific: English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Regional Focus:
Central Valley
Northern California

Segmentation

We have prioritized the segments most likely to act:
Quiet Advocates
Rational Participants
Spirited Promoters

Rationale Participant Segment: 30%
These Californians are aware of issues but not motivated to do anything
“I don’t like to be wasteful but other issues are more important”
“Super-skeptical” mentality
Percentage of small-business owners: 16%

Quiet Advocate Segment: 19%

These Californians are quiet advocates for change
Example: “It’s good to be thoughtful when it comes to the environment”
“Leader by example” mentality
Percentage of small-business owners: 12%

Spirited Promoters Segment: 17%
These Californians talk the talk but don’t walk the walk
Example: “I’m a champion of change but don’t always practice what I preach”
“Influence” mentality but doesn’t back it up with action
Percentage of small-business owners: 20%

Audiences Per Channel

Website
Audience (s):Adults 25-54, California residents
Ensure coverage of core targets: Quiet Advocates, Spirited Promoters, and Rational Participants
In-Language considerations: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese
Organic Social
Audience (s): All Californians, through English and Spanish in-language communications
Paid Media

Audience (s): Adults 25-54, California residents
Ensure coverage of core targets: Quiet Advocates, Spirited Promoters, and Rational Participants
In-Language considerations: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese
Optimize reach against Small Business Owners
Continue to report on delivery against Low Income/ Disability segments

PR/Events

Audience(s): Adults 25-54, California residents
Continue coordination with large statewide publications’ energy beat reporters as part of the news bureau communications approach
Maintain all major outgoing messages and communications are appropriately translated in order to be consumed by English speaking, Spanish speaking, and Asian language audiences as appropriate

Community Outreach
Audience (s):
Regions:
San Juaquin Valley
Northern & Central California
Inland Empire
Desert communities
Groups:
Renters’ associations
Housing organizations
Minority organizations
Sustainability groups
Statewide business groups
Senior organizations
Senior & Disability organizations
Unions
Education community
Plan
Charter school operators
3 of the top 10 school districts (beyond Los Angeles)
3 County Departments of Education (beyond Los Angeles)
Sustainability groups at UC/CSU system
Stretch
Charter School operators
Top 10 School Districts (beyond Los Angeles)
10 County Departments of Education (beyond Los Angeles)
Sustainability groups at UC/CSU system and top private universities

SECTION 3: MESSAGING

Ensure JCAP coverage of key seasonal and culturally relevant communications
Where possible, tailor the messaging to each specific segment.
Energy management techniques and success stories (i.e.: through human interest angles)
Energy savings tips/cost efficiencies, seasonal news angles (energy heroes, CBO case studies)
Implementation (rather than just awareness) of Do Your Thing™, making that campaign more of a universal message among our partners and their networks
Provide the community, more calls to action and opportunities for mobilization, tailored to our specific individual audiences (i.e. business groups, minority groups, rental associations, and disability groups)

SECTION 4: BRAND LIFT AND LEVERAGE

Website

Optimize the site to be mobile forward and tobetter engage users on mobile devices
Move lead capture to the top of the page
Inspire, educate and drive all Californians to act, which would be measured by site behavior metrics, Movement signups, and traffic drivers to PAs

Paid Media

Drive reach to help generate awareness of EUC
Secure placements with a longer dwell time to educate and encourage participation with program content

PR/Events

While many Y2 objectives will mirror those in Y1, such as reaching all Californians with EUC messaging in order to arm them with the knowledge to make behavior changing actions, Y2 will also place a focus on telling more humanized stories about real Californianresidents and business owners(i.e.Energy Heroes, small businesses, CBOs, etc.).
Through PR, continue to target both large statewide publications as well as smaller, more regional and niche publications with EUC messaging, related energy news, and further define the campaign’s purpose through energy related trade publications and EUC speaking opportunities.
Continue to work closely with DDB/DDC agency partners to amplify messages and identify/participate in relevant local and industry events in order to reach Californians en masse and coordinate widespread participation with the target audiences

SECTION 5: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Organic Social (note: paid social included in paid media)

Develop a community of energy stewards through culturally relevant content and ongoing community engagement.
Purpose: Inspire engagement and advocacy

Community Outreach

Education:
Curriculum integration, leverage educational partnership with Los Angeles Unified School District to work with other top school districts
Scale our existing education outreach to at least two additional parts of the state, targeting at least 10 school districts
Existing Partnerships:
Leverage our relationships with CBOs to ensure our partners are engaging their networks to take action
Formalize our coalition/movement, and have that coalition collectively take action
Proactively organize collaborative events to engage multiple partners, rather than co-branding with our partners’ events
Capitalize on the resources and memberships of our partner CBOs

Growing our network:

Continue to amass additional CBO partners, particularly in regions and communities that have been harder for us to reach in Y1 (see below).Generating buy-in from state and local elected officials:

Use our CBO partnerships to generate public support from state and local legislators

Expanding PA Integration
Continue to develop co-branded events with PAs that reach our partner audiences and beyond.
Engage PA CBO networks in small groups – expanding the successful “Invitation Lunch-Event” concept

Expand the grant recipient program. Capitalize on the success of the Year 1 grantees with a targeted expansion of the grantee program with clear deliverables and metrics for success. Expand existing grantees and build new areas including:
Low and moderate income communities – expand existing relationships with organizations reaching the Latino, Asian and African American audiences
Capitalize on current targeted disability, senior and assisted living groups to reach the broader community
Expand municipal/city relationships based on League of Cities relationship
Build on small business groups (NFIB/Local Chamber’s of Commerce)
Expand social justice/faith based groups through expansion of relationships with 350.org, GreenFaith, Eco Ministries, CA Rabinical Council, UNIDOS, Urban League and others
Develop a comprehensive, full-year calendar of events that involve key stakeholders’ events as well as EUC-branded events;highlight sustainability and other actions/drivers along with other key events to share with our network in advance.
Host a CBO/Stakeholder event in Year 2 to honor and celebrate the support of the movement membership
CBO synergy on messaging platforms
EUC-owned
Newsletter
CBO website
Social media
CBO-owned
Newsletter
Website
Social media

SECTION 6: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: COLLABORATION WITH SUPPORTIVE AND CONSULTED PARTIES

Currently evaluating how to maximize customer engagement platform on YR 2 priorities; “high priorities” will be identified during January 8,JCAP Workshop.

Integration Matrix

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SECTION 7: METRICS

Baseline measurements, provided by Opinion Dynamics, are:

Aided awareness: 27%
Unaided awareness: 8%

Note: Year 2 Measurement Goals/Benchmarking Windows will be completed in early 2018

SECTION 8: TIMELINE

TBD

SECTION 9: BUDGET

TBD

SECTION 10: CONCLUSION