Peco: "Bulb" Outdoor Advert by Tierney

Power Co. Makes Energy Ogres its Brand Campaign.

Campaign Fact Sheet

Client:
PECO, Philadelphia, div. Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC)

Agency:
Tierney, Philadelphia

Program:
PECO Smart Ideas
Rebates, discounts, and incentives for trading in old appliances.
Entire 2010 “brand” budget allocated to this campaign.

TV:
Seven :30s and :15s.
Dishwasher, fridge, window and lightbulb “ogres.”
Prime time and news slots. 5 broadcast, 10 cable networks.

Online:
Three rich media “ogre” banners on local news/media sites.

Radio:
Four :30s.
Good ol’ boy dishwasher, Frenchified window, Transylvanian lightbulb,
mean mother-in-law fridge.
Top 10 Philly stations.

Outdoor:
Five “ogre” billboards (bulletin and extension) and bus shelters.
Major thoroughfares. 250 units.

Goal:
Reduce Philadelphia area homeowners’ energy usage.

Why?
State mandated 3% reduction in kilowatt hours, by 2013.
Show effort to help consumers cut costs, before next year’s expiration
of 2001 rate freeze.

Typical rebate scenario:
Homeowner buys a new, efficient refrigerator and moves the old to the
basement, as a spare for ice cream or beer. Energy costs for that
spare can be up to $150/year. As an alternative, PECO will pick it up
for free, recycle its parts, and pay homeowner $35. Plus rebate $75
towards the new.

Tierney creative concept:
“No finger-wagging.”
PECO research shows that $ savings, even small, are a more effective
motivator than dire environmental concerns. Compared to scary/evil
bad-guy appliances, cartoony puppet versions were less “preachy.”

ECD: Patrick Hardy
CDs: Teri Gerbec, Andrew Cahill
AD: Andy Benson
CW: Rebecca Robbins
Interactive CD: Tim Singer
Interactive Designers: Guyda Bru, Mike English, Josh Pierce
Integrated Prod.: Peg Finucan
Assoc. Prod.: Tom Adjemian

Prod. Co.: Phasmatrope, Haverford, Pa.
Dir.: Michael Wilde
Exec. Prod.: Jon Isen
Editor: Chip Schofield

Puppets: Furry Puppet Studio, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Creator: Zach Buchman

Breaks:
April



Philadelphia–Phila. power company PECO, a subsidiary of Exelon Corp.
(NYSE: EXC), will turn over its entire 2010 brand advertising budget
to encouraging consumers to upgrade their energy-wasting,
money-wasting, old appliances and windows, dubbed “ogres.” The
campaign, by Tierney, Phila., breaks this month.

In seven :30 and :15 TV spots, dishwasher, refrigerator, window and
lightbullb ogres torment the homeowners on whose electricity they
feed. A voiceover then describes the rebates, discounts, and
incentives that PECO offers instead. Each spot closes with the URL
peco.com/SmartIdeas , and the tag: “PECO. We put our energy into
saving you money.”

The bad guy appliances are played by puppeteers, and intended as more
cartoony than horrific. Research showed that even small money savings
were more effective at motivating homeowners to cut usage than were
the dire environmental consequences of energy waste. The commercials
aim to not come off as “preachy,” or, as Tierney exhorted internally:
“No finger-wagging.”

The TV advertising runs on prime time and in news slots on 5 broadcast
and 10 cable networks. More ogre advertising runs on online news and
media sites, on Top 10 Philly radio stations (where the appliances
sound like a good ol’ boy, a harping mother-in-law, a Frenchman and a
Transylvanian), and out-of-home, on 250 billboard and bus shelter
units.

Driving PECO’s effort to reduce the energy its customers buy is a
state mandated 3% cut in total kilowatt hours, by 2013. And, before
next year’s expiration of a 2001 rate freeze, the company wants to
demonstrate an effort to help consumers control costs.

A typical “Smart Ideas” rebate might involve the homeowner who
purchases a new refrigerator. Instead of having to pay out up to
$150/year in energy costs to move his old fridge to the basement, as a
spare for ice cream or beer, PECO will pick it up for free, recycle
its parts, and pay the homeowner $35, plus a $75 rebate on a new,
efficient model.

Tierney creative credits go to executive creative director Patrick
Hardy; creative directors  Teri Gerbec and Andrew Cahill, art director
Andy Benson, copywriter Rebecca Robbins, interactive creative director
Tim Singer, and interactive designers Guyda Bru, Mike English and Josh
Pierce. The director was Michael Wilde of Phasmatrope, Haverford, Pa.
Puppets are by one-time Muppet-maker Zach Buchman of Furry Puppet
Studio, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tierney is a full-service advertising and public relations agency,
part of the global Interpublic network. www.hellotierney.com