Mark Schaeffer, President, Hoffman/Lewis

Touchstone Energy Cooperatives will launch a new communications campaign in August that motivates members to take action to save energy and money. At the helm of the campaign’s development is Hoffman/Lewis, the brand’s new creative agency. The St. Louis-based agency came out on top of a review process that began in November and evaluated more than twenty different agencies. 

Along with three other finalists narrowed down from the larger group, Hoffman/Lewis presented concepts for the new campaign on March 17 to a subcommittee of co-op brand leaders.

Kathe Breheny, chair of the brand’s Strategic Communications Advisory Committee and a member of the subcommittee, gave an enthusiastic endorsement of the agency. “The thing that stood out about the Hoffman/Lewis team was their excitement about working with co-ops. We saw outstanding creativity and innovation in their presentation. Their expertise in social networking and online resources is top-notch, and that’s an area where the brand can expand,” said Breheny.

“We had seen the brand’s TV spots before and we were intrigued,” said Hoffman/Lewis President Mark Schaeffer. “Our employees were motivated by the challenge presented to us—inspiring co-op members save money and energy, and helping co-ops tackle the issues facing the energy industry,” he said.

According to Schaeffer, the brand’s goal of inspiring co-op members to take action aligns perfectly with the agency’s own philosophy of Performance Based Advertising. The guiding principle behind this philosophy, explains Schaeffer, is that “advertising is most effective when it is focused on changing behavior, not attitudes.”

The agency’s presentation focused on how advertising and interactive marketing programs can inspire and challenge co-op members to transition from thinking about energy savings to actually taking steps to save energy and money. The agency’s 28-member staff is already hard at work developing ways to accomplish this, says Schaeffer.

Schaeffer added that Hoffman/Lewis is especially well-suited to working with co-ops, as its current client base consists almost exclusively of co-op marketing entities and franchise organizations. Toyota dealerships, McDonald’s franchises, the Missouri Tourism Commission and Vision Service Providers—a network of optometrists and vision insurance providers—are among the agency’s clients.

“We’re very good at listening, better than most creative agencies today,” said Schaeffer. “Because there are so many different parties that have a stake in our work, we take a much different approach to managing our clients’ resources.”

The agency will bring its unique philosophy and more than 25 years of experience to the table as it develops the brand’s new campaign, set to debut on August 27 in St. Louis. All Touchstone Energy brand leaders are invited to attend this event.

Stay tuned for details!

Mark Manion                           Terry Schilly
Creative Director                    Account Executive
Hoffman/Lewis                      Hoffman/Lewis