Natural Gas Legislation: Bringing Actionable Awareness to the Conversation
CLIENT
Corning Natural Gas
CAMPAIGN
Legislation Awareness
INDUSTRY
- Energy
SERVICES
- Branding, Design & Copywriting, Digital, Print & Fulfillment, Strategic Marketing, Websites
Executive Summary
Corning Natural Gas approached Whale to help navigate the potential bans on natural gas in New York State. Based in Upstate New York, Corning Natural Gas faced challenges posed by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Signed into law on July 18, 2019, the CLCPA is one of the most ambitious climate laws in the nation, mandating a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an 85% reduction by 2050 from 1990 levels. This legislation could force homeowners to transition to full-electric systems, potentially costing over $35,000. Corning aimed to educate New Yorkers on this legislation and encourage them to contact the governor and county legislators to voice their concerns.
Client Overview
Corning Natural Gas, based in Corning, NY, serves natural gas to approximately 15,000 customers throughout the Southern Tier and Central regions of New York State. They are dedicated to providing safety, reliability, and superior service to their customers.
Objectives
Corning Natural Gas came to Whale needing help combating the CLCPA through an actionable awareness campaign. They viewed the legislation as too radical and costly, eliminating New Yorkers’ energy choices, and doubted the electric grid’s readiness. The campaign’s goals were to increase awareness of the CLCPA, break down its key points, evoke a response, and create a clear and easy call to action.
The key objective was to educate the everyday New Yorker on the CLCPA, direct them to a landing page, and have them fill out a form that sends a pre-generated email to the New York State governor and their county legislators. This email outlined the frustrations New Yorkers were facing to encourage action and change from legislators and the governor against this legislation.
Strategy
Whale’s campaign approach consisted of messaging development, stylescapes, campaign brand guidelines, deliverable development, and continual campaign evolution.
1. Messaging Development: Whale brainstormed taglines that could resonate with the audience and reflect Corning’s tone on the issue. Corning chose the tagline, “Don’t Fool With My Fuel.”
2. Stylescapes: Whale developed stylescapes to determine the campaign’s look and feel. Corning opted for bold colors and an aggressive stance, similar to other political campaigns.
3. Campaign Brand Guidelines: Establishing consistent and recognizable messaging, colors, icons, and fonts across all campaign assets.
4. Deliverable Development: This included creating a brochure, digital advertisements, and a landing page.
5. Continual Evolution: Whale continually monitored and optimized the campaign to ensure the best results.
Deliverables
• Trifold Brochure: This informational brochure was handed out at in-person meetings and directed individuals to a landing page to take action.
• Paid Digital Advertisements: We used Facebook Display, Google Performance Max, and Facebook Retargeting ads, targeting all New Yorkers. These ads directed people to the landing page where they could take action.
• Landing Page: The landing page featured a form with a pre-generated email to the New York State governor and county legislators, tailored to the user’s location.
Results
Campaign Duration: 3-Months
Campaign Channels: Facebook Display, Google Performance Max, and Facebook Retargeting
798 clicks and 5,100 impressions
across Facebook and Google
16,472 users
visited the landing page
841 form submissions
on the landing page
This campaign was a success, generating a large response. For other natural gas utilities, it’s essential to stay on top of what is happening in your service area and get ahead of the conversation, as other states will adopt similar legislation if they haven’t already. Bringing together advocates, sharing knowledge, educating outside parties, and providing a simple call to action are crucial steps.
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