May 25, 2006

New Campaign, Brand Leaders Take Center Stage at Connect 2006

Brand Leadership Summit Energizes Attendees

Six Honored as Brand Champions

Hot off the Presses: Home Energy Savings Guide

Co-op Connections Deadline is May 31

Reminder: ACSI Web Conference is May 31

Quotable Quote

Share Your Brand-Building Success Stories

New Campaign, Brand Leaders Take Center Stage at Connect 2006

Hundreds of co-op marketing, communications and member service officials gathered in San Antonio May 16-19 for the Connect 2006 Conference. Attendees heard from dozens of co-op speakers as well as many other experts during information-packed breakout and general sessions.

With 35 breakout sessions, attendees had ample learning opportunities in areas such as communicating about rate increases, effective marketing, professional development, and member service solutions.

Touchstone Energy Cooperatives sponsored author and branding expert Jackie Freiberg’s appearance at the general session on May 18. Freiberg encouraged attendees to “re-recruit” employees and distinguish their co-ops through passion, service and value. Freiberg used examples of business best practices, such as Southwest Airlines’ employee engagement strategy of placing employee satisfaction and engagement first and building the brand from the inside-out, to drive home her message. She also cited a statistic from a recent Gallup survey that found 59 percent of all working people are not engaged. “Within your co-op,” said Freiberg, “all employees can help ‘turn up the volume’ on engagement. Tell your co-op’s story in a fun and creative way that will cause members to ask questions and tell your story themselves. Loyal members will be advocates for your co-op.”

“The conference provided multiple opportunities to network and learn from my peers,” said Marty Myers, Touchstone Energy coordinator at Georgia EMC. “The general session speakers were excellent. They presented valuable information that I can incorporate into my job,” she said.

‘Straight Talk’ Campaign Premiers at Connect

The May 18 general session also featured the premier of “Straight Talk,” Touchstone Energy’s new communications and advertising campaign. Attendees were treated to a preview of four of the five new TV spots that will soon hit the airwaves. The new spots take on a serious and timely tone, touching on messages like energy efficiency, investing in technologies that will ensure a brighter future for America, safety and the strength of the co-op network.

The new campaign is based on the findings of the 2005 National Survey on the Cooperative Difference and reinforces NRECA’s ‘Power to Make a Difference’ campaign, which was announced in February. Focus groups in three regions of the country were also used to test the story boards and scripts.

Co-ops will hear details on the new campaign, which includes a robust set of print options, in the coming weeks. For the first time, all TV spots can be localized with either a state or co-op’s name embedded within the dialogue. The primary spokesman in each of the spots will be in studio beginning the week of May 30, recording audio voice-overs for regional representatives or individual co-ops. This new feature strengthens the identity of the local co-op as well as its link to the Touchstone Energy co-brand. Co-ops should contact their Touchstone Energy regional representative for more information on this “audio signature" option.

To request a DVD viewing copy for media planning purposes, contact Scott Bialick at scott.bialick@nreca.coop or 703.907.5627.

‘Branding Bonanza’ Highlights Brand Resources

There was no shortage of Touchstone Energy information on the Connect agenda, as brand programs and initiatives were featured in six breakout sessions. Topics covered included best practices and the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), the Co-op Connections card, site selection resources, new energy efficiency programs, the Cooperative Difference Survey and the 2006 advertising and communications portfolio.

Nancy Nixon, marketing administrator at the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, offered high praise for the content of the Touchstone Energy sessions. “I’m already very familiar with Touchstone Energy programs, but I came away refreshed with information and perspectives I hadn’t heard before. It was one of the best conferences I’ve attended,” she said. 

Brand Leadership Summit Energizes Attendees

Striving for loyal members versus satisfied members and over-delivering on the brand’s promise are two crucial components of successful brand-building, said Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest Airlines and keynote speaker at the Touchstone Energy Brand Leadership Summit on May 16, a Connect pre-conference event. Putnam captured the attention of attendees with an address befitting the Summit’s theme, Building a Branding Culture.

According to Putnam (shown at left), Southwest Airlines owes its success to a clear and succinct brand value proposition and its philosophy of placing its people first. “Southwest Airlines has changed the way the game is played because it has created a culture and a brand that its employees believe in and want to be a part of. Those employees, in turn, provide not only superior service, but an overall experience to customers,” said Putnam.

During the standing-room only event, described as a “pep rally for the brand” by one attendee,  Touchstone Energy national staff and other speakers gave in-depth updates on various initiatives aimed at fulfilling the brand promise and softening the blow of rate increases, such as the Touchstone Energy Home Program, Co-op Connections card, SitesAcrossAmerica.com and the ACSI. Attendees also got a sneak-preview of the new advertising and communications portfolio, dubbed “Straight Talk.”

A new energy efficiency resource was introduced during the summit. Touchstone Energy Cooperatives will soon offer a free online home energy audit, the Home Energy Saver. The resource will be launched in cooperation with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

According to Evan Mills of Lawrence Berkeley, a speaker at the summit, the Home Energy Saver quickly calculates a home's energy use based on a detailed description of the home, its appliances and geographic location. Users can estimate how much energy and money they can save by implementing energy-efficiency improvements. All uses of energy (heating, cooling, lighting, etc.) are included in the calculation. Stay tuned for more details!

“I came away from the summit really energized and excited to be a part of this brand,” said Patty Fetting of Dairyland Power (La Crosse, Wisc.). “There was so much useful information offered—I learned a lot,” she added.

Presentations from the Brand Leadership Summit and Connect 2006 conference will be posted next week at www.touchstoneenergy.coop.

Six Honored as Brand Champions

The second annual Touchstone Energy Brand Champion Awards were presented May 18 at the Connect 2006 Conference in San Antonio. An honor developed by the Touchstone Energy Cooperative Relations Advisory Committee and approved by the board of directors, the 2006 Brand Champion Awards recognize six individuals for their extraordinary leadership, effectiveness, innovation and consistency in building the Touchstone Energy brand.

Recipients include:

• Paul Wood, president and CEO, Georgia EMC, Tucker, Ga. 
• Mark Ingram, corporate communication manager, Alabama Electric Cooperative, Andalusia, Ala.
• Tom Green, director of communications, FEM, Lake Region and Northern Electric Cooperatives, South Dakota
• Jerry McDonald, advertising & brand manager, East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Winchester, Ky.
•  Frank Owen Brockman, safety and loss control coordinator, Farmers RECC, Glasgow,   Ky.
• Jim Van Someren, communications manager, Tri-State G&T Association, Denver, Colo.

“The success of the Touchstone Energy brand is directly attributed to the team effort by the more than 600 Touchstone Energy co-ops across the nation,” said Berkeley Electric Cooperative (Moncks Corner, S.C.) CEO E.E. “Skip” Strickland, chairman of the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives board of directors. “The 2006 Brand Champion Award recipients are appropriately honored for being critical members of the Touchstone Energy team,” added Strickland.

Hot off the Presses: Home Energy Savings Guide

As rate volatility challenges the electric utility industry, cooperatives are making a renewed effort to communicate with their members about the role they can play in managing home energy use. To support their efforts, Touchstone Energy Cooperatives has expanded its energy efficiency communications portfolio to offer member cooperatives the Home Energy Savings Guide.

The guide includes easy-to-understand steps for saving energy and covers topics such as:

Co-op Connections Deadline is May 31

Touchstone Energy is gearing up for another Co-op Connections card production run. Join the 79 Touchstone Energy co-ops building member loyalty and demonstrating the cooperative difference with the Co-op Connections member benefit card. With nearly 6 million cards and key fobs in circulation, Co-op Connections is delivering savings to co-op members nationwide. To participate in the next print run, register by May 31 on www.advancingthebrand.coop.

For more information on the next print run and Co-op Connections, contact Scott Bialick at scott.bialick@nreca.coop or 703.907.5627.

Reminder: ACSI Web Conference is May 31

Find out how to make the most of the ACSI tool during a Touchstone Energy Web conference, “The ACSI: A view from the CEO’s Desk.” There’s still time to register.

Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern (12:00 p.m. Central, 11:00 a.m. Mountain, 10:00 a.m. Pacific)
Speakers:

• Tim Sullivan – director, C&I business development, NRECA and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
• Raymond H. Beavers, CEO and general manager, United Electric Co-op Services, Inc. (Texas)
• Gregg Kiess, President/CEO, Northeastern REMC (Ind.)

Cost:  FREE for Touchstone Energy Members

Registration:  Please register by close of business on Monday, May 29, 2006. Call-in and Web access details for participants to follow.

For registration-related questions, contact Nancy Runge at 703.907.5742 or Nancy.Runge@nreca.coop.  Content-related, please contact Tim Sullivan at 651.686.7477 or Tim.Sullivan@nreca.coop.

Quotable Quote

“It takes guts to tell your story and remind your members of the value your co-op provides.”

-Jackie Freiberg, branding expert and Connect keynote speaker

Editor, Erin Keogh
erin.keogh@nreca.coop
703.907.5572