Geothermal Strategic Marketing Plan

Originally presented to:The Geothermal Energy Association, Wash., D.C.

Strategic Marketing Plan for the Geothermal Industry

Part 1: Creative Exploration, Wall St. focus

January 24, 2010

v1.0 Early Observations

How I can help the GEA

•Help build a strategic marketing plan, using marketing techniques for enterprise-scale technology

•Develop an Industry Creative Brief to guide agencies working on campaign components

•As I develop campaigns for Geothermal companies, seek to integrate them with GEA visibility programs

•Assist with GEA projects where my talent can make an impactGeothermal Marketing Plan v1.0 ©2010 Clark F. Staves Jr. All rights

reserved.

My Background

•Twenty years of advertising and creative management experience marketing technology companies

•Talented creative director with practical experience building multimedia campaigns and organizing agencies

•Accomplished brand identity designer and technical illustrator, with the ability to write compelling copy

•Three year self-education and research into geothermal and related industries

Geothermal Marketing Plan v1.0 ©2010 Clark F. Staves Jr. All rights reserved.

Building An Effective Marketing Campaign

•Identify key Geothermal industry challenges

•Identify interest intersections•Develop common themes to reach target audiences

•Brainstorm executions and verify effectiveness

•Extend visibility through partner efforts•Coordinate creative briefs to realize synergies among agencies

•Execute creative development and share assets


Geothermal Industry Challenges

•Bring in Wall Street investment to scale geothermal energy production quickly

•Bring in VC investment to foster company creation in the sector and drive innovation

•Maintain tax credits and incentives for Geothermal development

•Create demand for Geothermal solutions among wider population


Wall Street Challenges

•The Geothermal market is small and fragmented– Must demonstrate reliable scalability– Too hard to understand for a small market

•Relies on government subsidies subject to change

•Must demonstrate why geothermal is economically superior to coal, or, or gas-fired electric plants

•Difficult to weigh risks, given novel business models


Venture Capital Challenges

The challenges are similar

•Must demonstrate reliable scalability•Relies on government subsidies subject to change

•Must demonstrate why geothermal is economically superior to coal, or, or gas-fired electric plants

Some challenges for Wall Street become attractive investments for VCs:

•Difficult to weigh risks, given novel business models

•The Geothermal market is small and fragmented


Government ChallengesInvestment challenges are reframed within government, but are

quite similar:

•Support and subsidies for unsustainable business models is fading– Must demonstrate why geothermal is

economically superior to coal, or, or gas-fired electric plants

•Long lead time for major projects provides little short-term stimulus for the economy

•Must demonstrate how Geothermal development can help revitalize America’s economy with safe, reliable energy


General Public ChallengesWith little industry visibility, Geothermal’s appeal as a sustainable

asset is not understood:

•Is it safe? Is it ugly? Is it sustainable?•How is it different than other green energy sources?

•Rocks are boring, why should we care about Geothermal?

•I live in the Midwest—what’s in it for me?•Where are the JOBS?


Where Interests Intersect—Dialog Begins


We Discover Common Concerns


Which Can Become Communication Themes


Profitable Business Themes


•Continuous, sustainable energy•Competitive with new fossil-based plants without the need for fuel

•Scalable energy technology throughout the west with nationwide applications today in co-generation

•Proven technology, with room for innovation in the secondary heat market for agriculture, industrial processing, and other direct heat uses

•Jobs that won’t go away in the heartland of America

Sustainable Economy Themes

•Competitive, continuous, sustainable energy for a stable America

•A renewable domestic resources that can compete on its own with fossil-based energy sources

•Incentives, not subsides will drive rapid expansion

•Room for innovation and sustainable economic growth

•Geothermal: Earth’s Power Plant


Rural Development Themes

•Heat, farmed from the earth, brings energy-intensive jobs to America’s heartland

•Not just electricity, but the heat to drive agriculture and industrial development in Western rural areas

•An energy source so benign, you can swim in it

•The centerpiece of rural development—sustainable energy farmed from the earth

•Fuel-less sustainable energy, competitive with coal*Geothermal Marketing Plan v1.0 ©2010 Clark F. Staves Jr. All rights

reserved.

*Needs to be verified/qualified

Common Themes—The Intersection of Interests•Continuous, sustainable energy—competitive with today’s energy sources

•Proven technology with room to grow•Re-energize rural America with locally generated power and sustainable jobs in the heat-energy industry


Creative Brainstorming around Themes•Look for scalable messages that can be used in a variety of media and by many GEA companies

•Create rough concepts for validation in key sectors

•Measure response in target market


:20 sec Broadcast Ad Targeted at Wall Street


Adaptation for Print—Investor Demographic


Sustainable EconomyConde Nast TravelerSailing, Golf DigestScientific American

Profitable BusinessForbesThe EconomistFortune

Rural DevelopmentHarper’sNew YorkerSouthwest Art

Using Themes with Target Markets

•Push creative concepts across a variety of mediums and market sectors to drive visibility

•Create opportunities for Geothermal companies to participate and tell their stories– Industry creative brief to GEA member’s creative

teams– Leverage GEA activities to drive synergy

•Use guerilla as well as conventional media campaigns to drive visibility


Guerilla Marketing Using Industry Assets •Reconfigure GEA website to align with themes and target markets– Links by sector (industry, investors, govt./general

public)– Campaign landing pages with links to details

•Spectacles at industry events•Visitor centers and signage at key installations

•Geothermal education packets and models•Educational premiums and promo items


Spectacles at Industry Events

•Geothermal “Cook Off” at GEA Conference– Three companies compete with small-scale power

plants using a common steam source. Most power generated wins.

•Create a Geothermal Coffeemaker for GEA finance conferences– Adapt coffee siphon to demo

geothermal principals

•Encourage WORKING models at industry events


Visitor Centers at Geothermal Sites in Nevada•Reno, NV Steamboat area would be an excellent site for business and public visits with high visibility on Highway 395

•Color code piping and place signage at remote sites– Burma Shave style signs

provide a bit of interest on a lonely drive

– Color coding of system and explanation signs to educate


Education Packets and Model Loans

•Create lesson plans for classrooms and lending library of models– Lesson plans– Binary and Kalina cycle models,

etc.– Industry events/visitor center reuse

•Lets children teach their parents

•Create the next class of Geothermalists


Educational Events, Premiums and Promos•Geo Tours—Geotours to Iceland and domestic recreation areas with geothermal resource development

•Executive toys that educate– Hand boiler– Heated coffee mugs, personal espresso machines

•Annuals, calendars, art books featuring geothermal communities distributed to government and investment sector


Partnering with Others to Extend Visibility •Geothermal

Businesses•Aligned Industries•Economic Development Groups


Verify and Enhance Early Findings

•Mine marketing databases for interview candidates in each market sector (community, investment, geothermal)

– GEA event feedback, surveys, industry trends– Trends in aligned industries (Geo-Heat, Co-Generation, Industrial,

Agriculture) – Target market surveys and trends– Review competitive campaigns for solar, wind, and

clean coal

•Verify accuracy and impact of brainstorming themes with sector “sages”– Council of marketing experts pulled from PR, GEA, and

sales/marketing directors in the industry


Next Steps

•Create a geothermal industry creative brief•Explore marketing relationships with Geo-Heat, Solar-Thermal, Co-Generation

•Begin identity campaign in conjunction with material development

•Build publication-quality marketing material database as agencies are engaged


Design

Geothermal Strategic Marketing Plan