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This is a video presentation of the Guidelines for Creating Effective Marketing Materials
with the EISA Messaging and Copy Library. The guidelines have been written to support
the use the EISA Messaging and Copy Library which is available on the same page as the
link to this video. You will also find the written copy of these guidelines on that page.
This presentation will be more beneficial if youíve looked through this foundational
document beforehand. First, some background. Why have we created
the Messaging and the accompanying guidelines? In 2007 Congress passed the Energy Independence
and Security Act -- or ìEISAî. The intention of this legislation is to move the United
States toward greater energy security, Ö.partly by increasing standards for product efficiency.
EISA establishes increased minimum energy efficiency standards for general service lamps.
EISA does not ban incandescent light bulbs, but its minimum efficiency standards are high
enough that the incandescent lamps most commonly used by consumers today will not meet the
new requirements. Many manufacturers of incandescent bulbs are redesigning their products to meet
the new standards,Ö. but here we are focusing on effective, significantly more efficient
alternatives currently availableÖ. Compact fluorescent light bulbs and LEDs .
EISA also requires standard labeling on all light bulbs providing key information to consumers
regarding the bulbís energy use, brightness, color, expected lifetime and other features.
SoÖwhy do we need new messaging for efficient bulbs?
An eventual outcome of EISA is that consumers will no longer be able to find the incandescent
light bulbs they are accustomed to buying. Soon they will need to choose from halogen,
CFL or LED alternatives ñ which provide the same quality of light but use less energy
to do so. And because a 40-watt incandescent has a very
different brightness than a 40-watt CFL, consumers will have to relearn the relationship between
brightness and watts ñ and start thinking in lumens.
In addition, some consumers have been dissatisfied with CFL and LED bulbs in the past.Ö because
of appearance, color or functionalityÖ and may not be aware of the improvement -- over
earlier generations of these bulbs -- in the range of styles, applications, and colors.
As a result, new messaging needs to communicate how energy efficient bulbs are mature technologies
that can match the quality and range of uses weíve become accustomed to with incandescents.
New messaging will help consumers smoothly transition to these new bulbs.
To meet this need for new messaging, in 2012 BPA contracted with a marketing firm for the
development of consumer-facing marketing messaging and copy. The result is the EISA Messaging
and Copy Library for which these guidelines were developed.
The new messaging will help consumers make the right choice for their bulbs and minimize
dissatisfaction. ï it makes them aware of the upcoming change
in light bulb options, and why it is positive. ï it communicates how to select a bulb by
using lumens of brightness rather than watts of energy consumed
ï it makes them aware of the new ìLighting Factsî label which provides information on
the bulbís features, ï and it helps consumers understand the general
benefits of more energy efficient lighting As a side note, although Halogens are more
efficient than incandescents, we ultimately want to turn customers towards the most efficient
bulbs ñ CFLs and LEDs -- and not towards Halogens.
This presentation accompanies the document Guidelines for Creating Effective Marketing
Materials with the EISA Message Matrix, which includes additional examples.
These guidelines are to be used asÖ High level recommendations for effectively applying
this messaging your lighting promotions The guidelines provide Examples of this content
used in ways that are more and less effective And they are a reference for quality control
and regional consistency These guidelines are not intended to beÖ
A set of prescriptive rules. Theyíre not required messages or terminology
that utilities or stakeholders are expected to adopt verbatim,
And theyíre not Finished copy for utilities to drop into their materials.
In the Messaging Platform there are 5 pillars. Each Pillar is a theme that is critical to
how consumers will need to understand lighting purchase decisions in the face ofÖ changing
standardsÖ.new criteria for distinguishing products Ö and maturing product options.
Each messaging pillar is comprised of discrete, but related messages called the copy library.
These copy segments of different lengths and emphasis are the ìbuilding blocksî for constructing
motivating and informative messages you can adapt to your own marketing and communications
needs. The first pillarÖ New Energy StandardsÖ
concerns how new standards will require consumers to make purchase decisions based on lumens
not watts The pillar ìReduce Energy WasteîÖ concerns
the benefits of new standards in helping customers reduce energy waste and energy costs
Know Your Energy Efficient Choices contains copy for letting customers know there is an
efficient bulb for almost every application. Right Light for Each Situation talks about
new labeling that will help customers understand how match a bulb to their needs
And finally, the pillar Your Utility is Here for You contains messaging about how local
utilities can help navigate new lighting choices. All five pillars in this Messaging Platform
contain messaging to help consumer purchase the right efficient bulb.
But the second pillar - focused on ìReducing Energy Wasteî - is using messaging to motivate
or inspire the purchase rather than simply facilitating the right purchase.
The use of reducing energy waste as a primary motivating message is supported by consumer
research conducted in the Northwest. And the Bonneville Power Administration is supporting
a regional effort of this messaging in marketing energy efficiency products and services.
This effort was initiated in December 2010, when the Regional Marketing Coordinating Council
-- representing 14 Northwest utilities and energy efficiency organizations -- determined
that unified regional energy efficiency messaging and an associated marketing toolkit could
benefit the region. Using a common messaging theme throughout the region would create an
echo chamber and amplify its potential to substantially increase the uptake of energy
efficiency. ìReducing energy wasteî is the central messaging
theme in the Councilís regional marketing toolkit.
Research conducted for RMCC toolkit provided these consumer insights:
ï Residents of the Pacific Northwest hate waste.
ï The word ëwasteí conveys that this usage can be eliminated without sacrificing comfort
or quality of life; cutting waste provides a sense of relief rather than sacrifice.
ï ëWasteí is persuasive for everyone ñ including those who have done a lot, and think
that they have done everything that they can do.
The ìwasteî theme brings together the motivation to act ñ the high dislike wasting anything
ñ with the emotional and functional benefits of saving money and conserving resources.
You can find examples of ìreducing wasteî used in energy efficiency messaging in the
Style Guide for Regional Messaging at neea.org. Click on Resource Center.
As you consider how to apply messaging from the Message Platform, you first need to assess
several impacting factors. Weíll provide examples of several of these later in this
presentation, The first thing to consider isÖwhat the dominant
purpose and desired outcome of the piece? If youíre creating copy intended to motivate
consumers at the time of purchase, as in-store materials or in-store coupons, copy should
be direct and limited to the primary information that will influence customersí immediate
purchase decisions. For example, messaging about how efficient lighting cuts energy waste
and saves moneyÖ. and highlighting the incentives youíre offering to reduce the purchase price
of bulbs. If, instead, your marketing piece is intended
to inform a future purchase, as in a website or newsletter, you can justify using more
copy to support or elaborate key points, if you have the space to do so. Which brings
us to aÖ
A second, but related, factor to consider Ö.how much space do you have for messaging?
If you have limited space, keep the messaging simple and focused on the desired action or
outcome, as with pieces intended to motivate an immediate purchase.
And again, if you have more space you can elaborate on points you think are necessary
to inform and motivate your intended audience.
A third consideration is do you have the ability to provide more information by linking to
other channels? If you have limited space on one piece, you
can lead the reader to other channels with space for more information. An example is
a utility email or bill insert with link to a webpage containing frequently asked questions.
The next thing to ask yourself is.. how this messaging will integrate with your existing
communication strategy The Messaging Matrix contains a comprehensive
set of messaging and copy for each pillar, but it is not the intention that you should
always use all messaging pillars. Some messaging provided in the Matrix might
not fit within an individual utilityís broader communication strategy.
The messaging content was designed to be modular and can be used independently even if individual
pillars are not applied. A final consideration when applying lighting
messages isÖ what information do my target consumers need to move them towards the purchase
of efficient bulbs? Although we encourage the use of ìreducing
energy wasteî as a primary message for motivating a purchase, consumers still need additional
information to convince them this is a good purchase or to help them purchase the right
efficient bulb. For example, some consumers are already familiar
with -- and convinced of -- the benefits of efficient lighting and might need information
to help them find an efficient bulb of the brightness and color they want.
Other consumers may have had bad experiences with earlier efficient lighting or have no
experience at all buying efficient bulbs. These consumers might might need messaging
that compares the energy use of incandescents versus efficient lighting. Or information
that tells them that current efficient bulbs are much higher quality than earlier generations.
Or information that lets people know there is an efficient bulb for practically every
application and brightness and color preference. If youíre not sure how familiar or comfortable
your target consumers are with efficient lighting, it may be most effective to provide basic
information on the benefits of efficient lighting and that newer generations of efficient lighting
are better-performing and are available in a broader range of styles and preferences.
The remainder of this presentation will focus on recommendations for effective use of this
copy under different scenarios, with examples contrasting more effective and less effective
applications. At any point, you can pause this recording to read examples provided and
press play to restart. When creating the copy for a marketing piece
with very limited space, such as this sample bill insert, it is important not to overload
it with too much copy. Most consumers will not spend time reading a lot of small print.
And they may even be dissuaded by too much copy if it leads the consumer to believe this
is a complex decision for a relatively inconsequential purchase. They may instead default to habitual
purchases. Instead, limit the copy to your core messaging
to quickly inform, guide or influence a purchase In this first example of a sample bill insert,
there is too much copy about the details of the new legislation and a wordy description
of what this means for how weíll be shopping for bulbs. All this detail makes it difficult
for the reader to quickly comprehend the important information we want them to have in order
to motivate a purchase. If they read it at all.
In contrast, the second example does not include a lot of background detail, but rather concisely
focuses on a couple main pointsÖ that new legislation is making bulbs more efficientÖ
that we now have to think in terms of brightness instead of energy use when selecting the bulb
we wantÖ and that thereís a new label on packaging that includes information to help
us make the right bulb choice. This second example also provides a graphic
of lumen and wattage equivalencies to quickly help consumers see the relationship between
them. In addition to providing consumers with information
on the benefits of energy efficient lighting, we need to articulate and emphasize a specific
ìcall to action,î. In other words, the specific action we want the consumer to take.
Now it may seem obvious that the purpose of a marketing piece is to get the reader to
eventually buy a product or service. But as the examples here show, an explicit call to
action can make the difference between a passive piece that simply provides information and
an piece that actively tells the customer what to do with this information.
An effective ìcall to actionî can be achieved in several ways:
You can use an action verb, such ìbuyî, ìselectî, ìtellî,
You can place the call to action in a key spot in the content, such as the heading,
the beginning, or at the end. Or in promotions that are read, the call to
action can be emphasized through special treatment of the font size, color, style, starburst
and so on. The first example on the left includes information
that has the potential to motivate a purchase. In this case that efficient lighting can use
70-80% less energy than incandescents. But there is no clearly-articulated ìcall to
actionî. The message remains largely informational and leaves the consumer to infer a follow-up
action. In comparison, in the example on the right,
the call to action -- ìbuy energy efficient bulbsî - is clearly stated and prominently
placed at the beginning of the copy block. Weíre telling the reader what we want them
to do with this information. This call to action could be just as impacting
at the end of this short copy segment. But if youíre using a longer copy segment, it
is recommended to include your call to action near the beginning in the event readers donít
read all the way through a longer pieces. Another recommendation is to construct your
copy from more than one matrix pillar. Occasionally you may need to prepare copy
to elaborate on a specific aspect of lighting or for a target group that is more familiar
with the technology and its benefits. In this case, maximizing the content of one or two
message pillars might be appropriate. But most lighting messages used for consumer
marketing purposes, however, should be designed to inform, motivate and compel action from
a general audience. This will very often warrant key points from more than one pillar.
Generally speaking, if the entire message space is dedicated to a single message pillar
-- or theme ñ it may not provide enough comprehensive information to motivate an informed purchase.
For example, if we focused an entire newsletter column ñ several paragraphs ñ using only
copy from the pillar about how efficient bulbs reduce energy waste, we are not providing
consumers with important content like the transition to product labeling with lumens
or that there is an efficient bulb for just about every household need.
An effective marketing piece will likely use key points from a few message pillars, providing
more compelling information, motivation and call-to-action.
For specific examples of this recommendation, please refer to the guidelines document.
You can use the copy provided in the Matrix verbatim or you can adapt and modify it for
a specific utility program or campaign communication platform.
How you use the messaging and copy provided in the Messaging Matrix is up to you.
When using copy verbatim from the Matrix, however, remember that the final piece should
include enough information to compel the consumer to action.
The example on the left uses copy taken verbatim from the Matrix copy library but does not
include an actionable context or a call to action, and is not customized for a specific
program, campaign, or utility. In the example on the right promotional copy
from several pillars has been adapted for the communication platform of a utilityís
efficiency program called Super Energy Saver. It ends with a specific call to action ñ
find out more ñ and includes a link to more information on the utilityís website.
In this final example, weíll demonstrate how graphic elements can substitute for large
amounts of copy to quickly communicate information. To help consumers become more familiar with
these new lighting options and more comfortable with new metrics for choosing the bulb they
want, we need to communicate all this new information clearly and fairly quickly.
Consumers now need to make several discrete decisions when comparing their options for
an efficient light bulb purchase, including the bulbís application, style, brightness,
color, and, as always, price. Using only copy to communicate what consumers
need to know about these options can overwhelm or confuse them.
When you need to communicate a lot of details that enable consumers to quickly compare between
options, consider using charts, tables, images, and other graphic representations.
At right is a point-of-purchase display that uses graphic elements to help shoppers quickly
understand their options and how to select the right bulb for their needs.
These options include the style and application of the bulbÖ. the watt- to-lumens equivalency,Öand
the options for bulb light color This piece also includes an image of the actual
Lighting Facts label and the Simple Steps program logo indicating products that are
discounted. This piece effectively uses graphics toÖ
lay out the steps involved in making a selection Ö.to communicate options with vivid imageryÖ..to
provide information in a format that enables comparison.
Well, that concludes this presentation on the Guidelines for Creating Effective Marketing
Materials with the EISA Message Matrix. If you have questions or comments, please
contact Rob Hall or Dave Moody.