Touchstone Energy Brand News

September 2006

New “Real Stories” Print Campaign Puts Focus on Members

Online Audit Offers Full Slate of Energy-Saving Tools

Kentucky Co-ops Join Forces to Bring Troops Home

Online Image Portfolio is Valuable Resource

Call for Nominations: 2007 Distinguished Service Award

Mark Your Calendars: Brand Leadership Summit and Connect 2007

Co-op Connections Deadline is Oct. 13

2007 Balloon Calendar Available for Order

Touchstone Energy Academy Stokes Enthusiasm for the Brand

Quotable Quote

Share Your Brand-Building Success Stories

New “Real Stories” Print Campaign Puts Focus on Members

I have an electric cooperative that looks out for me. That’s the message in the new Real Stories print campaign launched today for Touchstone Energy cooperatives. Putting the focus on the members, the new Real Stories campaign highlights the importance members place on having an electric cooperative that looks out for them.

“The theme of the Real Stories campaign comes directly out of the findings of the 2005 National Survey on the Cooperative Difference,” said Jim Bausell, COO of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. “There is a clear link between electric co-op members who gave the highest loyalty and satisfaction scores and how they perceive their cooperative. Members who believe their cooperative looks out for them give higher scores,” he said.

Six new Real Stories reference ads are available for viewing and download here. However, the Real Stories campaign was developed to be just what it claims to be--real stories about real members. Cooperatives are encouraged to use these new ads as starting blocks for creating their own real stories materials, featuring their own real members.

One of the new Real Stories campaigns, shown at left, reads:

I have the greatest neighbors in town

a community that means the world to me

a driving desire to help people

an electric cooperative that’s looking out for me and my community.

“This new campaign offers tremendous flexibility for Touchstone Energy cooperatives by essentially creating a template to feature real co-op members,” said Bausell. “These reference ads can be used ‘as is,’ but provide the option for Touchstone Energy co-ops to give them more local flavor,” he said.

In addition to the Real Stories print campaign, Touchstone Energy co-ops have a library of Real Stories billboard images to utilize. The messages on the billboards complement both the current Straight Talk TV and future print messaging. To obtain billboard-ready designs, contact Kaleen Ogden at White & Partners at kaleeno@whiteandpartners.com or 703.793.3439.

For more information about the Real Stories print campaign, contact Scott Bialick at scott.bialick@nreca.coop or 703.907.5627.

Online Audit Offers Full Slate of Energy-Saving Tools

Touchstone Energy’s new online home energy audit tool, the Home Energy Saver, offers co-op members a robust tool to determine home energy consumption. But there is much more to the tool than simply getting a comprehensive calculation of a home’s energy use. For instance, one of the added features of the Home Energy Saver is the Home Energy Librarian.

Accessing the Home Energy Librarian, co-op members can obtain a list of energy efficient appliances recommended by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. The Home Energy Librarian also features a section on state-by-state energy efficiency programs, including many offered by Touchstone Energy co-ops around the country.

“Educating members about the Home Energy Saver and its many features provides Touchstone Energy cooperatives another avenue to show how they look out for the communities and members they serve,” said Jim Bausell, COO of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives.

The Home Energy Saver is offered in cooperation with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the national ENERGY STAR Program for improving energy efficiency in homes. As part of the collaboration, Touchstone Energy has customized a frame for the site to ensure that members know this resource is offered by a Touchstone Energy cooperative.
Co-ops can present this free resource to their members by linking from their own Web sites to the customized Home Energy Saver using the following link:

https://touchstoneenergy.cooperative.com/public/programs/energyefficiency/lblfiles/launch.htm

To create a graphic button link, co-ops can apply the logo included above.

Kentucky Co-ops Join Forces to Bring Troops Home

For three Touchstone Energy co-ops in Kentucky, commitment to community is a priority. This summer, South Kentucky RECC (Somerset), Jackson Energy (McKee), and Cumberland Valley Electric (Gray), joined a local effort to raise funds to bring home members of the Kentucky National Guard from a training camp in Mississippi.

Thanks to that effort, 11 buses were chartered and 485 guardsmen and women of the 1st 149th Infantry Battalion were able to spend about 10 days in mid-September with their families in Kentucky before being deployed to Iraq. Of the $60,000 raised to charter the buses, employees and directors at the three co-ops contributed nearly $6,000.

Allen Anderson, CEO of South Kentucky RECC, says he is not surprised by the amount raised.

"Kentucky electric co-ops have some of the best employees and directors. And when called upon to help, they are always ready and more than willing to assist in any way possible. We appreciate very much the sacrifices that the troops and their families make for the freedoms that we continue to enjoy at home. This is just a small token of our appreciation for those sacrifices,” he said.

Pictured above are Anderson and Jackson Energy CEO Don Schafer holding the check to be presented on behalf of the co-ops. Not pictured is Ted Hampton, manager of Cumberland Valley Electric.

Online Image Portfolio is Valuable Resource

One of the many resources available to co-ops on the Touchstone Energy Web site is the online image portfolio. The portfolio contains more than 190 photo images that co-ops can customize and incorporate in a broad range of communications, such as annual reports, bill stuffers, billboards or direct mail. Each image is consistent with the look and feel of the Touchstone Energy communications campaigns and can be used in a variety of sizes. The images can be easily downloaded.

For questions about the portfolio, contact Cynthia Henthorn at 703.907.5575 or Cynthia.henthorn@nreca.coop.

Call for Nominations: 2007 Distinguished Service Award

Nominations are being accepted for Touchstone Energy Cooperatives' highest honor, the Touchstone Energy Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Touchstone Energy brand on a national level.

Nominations must be submitted to Marty Haught, Touchstone Energy director of communications and brand education, by Jan. 12, 2007. Up to two awards will be presented at the Touchstone Energy Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., which will be held in conjunction with the NRECA Annual Meeting March 20-22, 2007.

To request a nomination form and learn more about award criteria, please contact Marty Haught at marty.haught@nreca.coop or 703.907.5986.

Mark Your Calendars: Brand Leadership Summit and Connect 2007

For the second straight year, Touchstone Energy will host a Brand Leadership Summit as a pre-conference event at the Connect conference. The summit will be held on May 15, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency in Miami, Fla. Connect 2007 will run May 16-18.

Stay tuned for program details and registration information. See you in Miami!

Co-op Connections Deadline is Oct. 13

A growing tally of national discount deals makes this a perfect time to join the 79 Touchstone Energy co-ops building member loyalty and demonstrating the cooperative difference with the Co-op Connections member benefit card. With more than 5 million cards and key fobs in circulation, Co-op Connections is delivering savings to co-ops and members nationwide.

To participate in the next print run, register by Oct. 13 on www.advancingthebrand.coop. For more information on the next print run and Co-op Connections, contact Cynthia Henthorn at cynthia.henthorn@nreca.coop, 703.907.5575, or Scott Bialick at scott.bialick@nreca.coop, 703.907.5627.

2007 Balloon Calendar Available for Order

The Cooperative Balloon Associates (CBA) is accepting orders for the 2007 Touchstone Energy hot-air balloon calendar. The calendar features color images from the balloon’s appearances at events across the country. The calendars are available with several options for local customization. Information on pricing and placing orders is available on the CBA Web site. For additional information, contact Aaron Ridenour at 217.243.1615 or Kevin Bernson at 217.774.3986.

Touchstone Energy Academy Stokes Enthusiasm for the Brand

More than 80 employees, managers and directors from Touchstone Energy co-ops across Georgia gathered in Perry, Ga., last month for a day of learning and brand-building.

The second annual Georgia Touchstone Energy Academy included training with East Kentucky Power’s Ann Maggard, who led attendees through a discussion on branding and its importance to their co-ops. Whit Holowell, CEO of Coastal EMC and a member of the Touchstone Energy board of directors, gave an update on the latest brand initiatives and resources. A motivational speaker facilitated a high-energy session designed to build excitement about the brand and each attendee’s role as a brand ambassador.

One of the most beneficial aspects of the event was the chance for attendees to interact with their peers from other co-ops, according to Marty Myers, Touchstone Energy coordinator at Georgia EMC.

“It was great to see the unique interactions taking place. The venue provided a valuable opportunity for employees, managers and directors from across Georgia to blend and discuss their ideas and common support for the Touchstone Energy brand,” said Myers.

For more information on the course content or how to host a similar event, contact Marty Myers at 770.270.6963.

Online registration is now available for the eighth annual New & Emerging Technologies Conference (NET). NET2007 will be held Feb. 7-8 at the Double Tree Hotel near Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. Pre-conference events will be held Feb. 5-6.

In addition to its traditional focus on key accounts and co-ops’ relationships with business customers, NET2007 will present sessions on residential building technologies and energy efficiency. The conference also offers discounted registration at the International Builders’ Show, the largest annual light construction show in the world, which will be held Feb. 9-10 in Orlando. The show features cutting-edge building products and services and attendees are encouraged to attend as part of their NET experience. Check out the NET2007 Web site for more conference details.

Quotable Quote

“As a Touchstone Energy cooperative, each of us has agreed to meet some high standards, including commitment to community. We at these three co-ops feel this is a perfect example of us helping our communities--bringing our family members home.”

-Allen Anderson, CEO of South Kentucky RECC, on the efforts of three Kentucky co-ops to raise funds to transport area National Guard troops home

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