May 2008
New TV Spot Attracts 100,000+ YouTube Hits
ACSI: Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Lead Industry in Customer Satisfaction
Business Energy Advisor Makes Excellent Tool for Key Accounts
Straight Talk Print Campaign Now Expired
Savings Continue to Add Up with Co-op Connections Card
Sign Up by June 13 For Next Co-op Connections Card Print Run
Share Your Brand-Building Success Stories
New TV Spot Attracts 100,000+ YouTube Hits
Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ new advertising campaign, “The Conversation,” has generated widespread interest. The campaign includes a spot entitled, “Change Rolls Into Town,” that features an all-electric vehicle—the Aptera—and highlights the need to strike a balance in providing reliable and affordable electricity. All five of the spots have been posted on YouTube.com, and the “Change Rolls Into Town” spot has been viewed more than 100,000 times since it was posted two months ago. The spot has also landed on a blog that tracks trends in electric vehicles and alternative fuels.
Many Touchstone Energy co-ops have taken advantage of a unique opportunity to have some or all of the five spots customized. An initial recording session was recently held during which 99 co-ops or groups of co-ops had their names voiced into the scripts of the spots. More recording sessions will be held in the coming months. Dates and details will be announced soon. The voice-over option is available free of charge to Touchstone Energy cooperatives.
The spots can be viewed and downloaded online. Beta SP tagging masters or DVD viewing copies of "The Conversation" are also available by contacting Scott Bialick at 703.907.5627/ scott.bialick@nreca.coop. Direct questions about the new campaign and voice-over process to Scott Bialick or Cynthia Henthorn at 703.907.5575/ cynthia.henthorn@nreca.coop.
ACSI: Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Lead Industry in Customer Satisfaction
Touchstone Energy co-ops continue to outclass the electric utility industry in customer satisfaction, according
to data for the first quarter of 2008 from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ score of “81” is 7 points better than the utility industry average of “74” and is also the top score among all individual investor-owned utilities.
Business Energy Advisor Makes Excellent Tool for Key Accounts
Touchstone Energy Cooperatives has teamed up with E-Source to provide a valuable source of information for co-ops and their business customers. The Business Energy Advisor (BEA) provides crucial energy savings information and immediate low-and no-cost energy savings steps. The BEA is divided into three sections. The Commercial Energy Advisor contains energy consumption data for eight market sectors, including office buildings, grocery stores and schools. The Operations and Maintenance Advisor shows how proper practices can reduce commercial customers’ bills up to15 percent. The Purchasing Advisor is an extensive online library of energy-related technology buyer's guides and management tips. Each guide offers a concise summary of the technology and an unbiased opinion of its uses in commercial applications. This section also includes a calculator that helps evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a variety of HVAC, lighting, power quality, refrigeration, and water heating equipment.
The BEA is user-friendly and can be easily accessed through the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Web site. It can also be linked to co-op Web sites for easier accessibility. For more information, contact Kristine Jackson-DeJarnette at kristine.jackson@nreca.coop.
See You at Connect 2008!
Connect 2008 starts Tuesday, May 13! Touchstone Energy Cooperatives is a co-sponsor of the event, and will be a prominent part of the agenda. Make sure to stop by the Touchstone Energy booth, which will be located near the registration area. Don’t miss the brand-related breakout sessions, which will feature in-depth information about brand resources, including a fresh new employee learning initiative. Touchstone Energy will also have a presence during Connect general sessions, with time devoted to “The Conversation” campaign, and a Touchstone Energy-sponsored speaker, James Greathouse, Director of Internal Communications at Starbucks.
Straight Talk Print Campaign Now Expired
“The Conversation” Print Campaign to Debut Soon
The print campaign that accompanied the 2006 “Straight Talk” television spots has been discontinued. Due to the expiration of talent rights related to this campaign, co-ops should no longer use the print or television ads. However, any co-ops that have already purchased space or created elements that contain images from “Straight Talk” can move forward as planned.
Print elements that complement the brand’s newest campaign, “The Conversation”, are in production now and will be available in the near future. In the meantime, refer to the print media section of the Touchstone Energy Web site for alternative images and templates. Contact Scott Bialick with any questions about print needs at 703.907.5627 or scott.bialick@nreca.coop.
Savings Continue to Add Up with Co-op Connections Card
The pharmacy discount available through the Co-op Connections card is giving co-op members access to
significant savings on prescriptions—confirmed again by recent statistics. During the month of April alone, co-op members flashed the card at pharmacies more than 25,000 times, resulting in nationwide savings of more than $395,000. Since the pharmacy discount feature was introduced in May 2007, members have saved more than $1.6 million.
Sign Up by June 13 For Next Co-op Connections Card Print Run
Don’t miss out on the incredible savings enjoyed by co-ops members nationwide. Plan to join the 159 Touchstone Energy co-ops already taking advantage of the Co-op Connections member benefit program during the upcoming card and key fob production run.
The program has attracted tremendous interest from businesses in co-op communities (more than 11,000 merchants nationwide offer discounts), and offers more than 50 national discounts, including the popular pharmacy discount, which qualifies co-ops members for savings on prescriptions at more than 56,000 retail pharmacy locations.
Orders for the second production run of the year are due June 13, 2008, with cards and key fobs set to deliver in early September. To place an order, fill out the attached form and follow the instructions on the form to submit electronically. A production schedule for this and future print runs and proposed pricing is available to help with the budgeting for your co-op's launch.
Learn more about this program by visiting the Co-op Connections section of the Touchstone Energy Web site. Contact Scott Bialick with questions about the program and production run at 703.907.5627 or scott.bialick@nreca.coop.
Editor, Erin Keogh
erin.keogh@nreca.coop
703.907.5572