The Power of Partnerships Increasing Program Effectiveness Through Collaborative Marketing

About PECI • PECI is an energy efficiency

solutions company

• Private nonprofit with offices in: – Portland, OR – San Francisco, CA – Santa Ana, CA

• High fragmentation and complexity of messaging

• Energy Efficiency ≠ sexy

• Need behavior change, not just a product purchase

• Limited utility marketing funds and expertise

EE-Specific Engagement Challenges

If you want to create change, you need to get the system working in the same direction.

~ Peter Senge

Boundaries need not be seen as separateness, but rather opportunities to form relationships,

exchange information, and grow. ~ Margaret Wheatley

Partnership Challenges • Fear of decreasing competitive advantage

• Time to manage logistics, communications, and decision making

• Differences in culture, processes, language, and perception of power

• Discord due to varying partnership contributions

• Tension between autonomy vs. need for group approval

• Perception that progress is moving slower than it should be

Partnership Benefits • Broadens a company’s marketing reach

• Brings relevance and purpose to co-branding initiatives

• Utilizes experts and their contributions for group benefit

• Uncovers hidden opportunities and latent synergies

• Allows for decreased individual costs

• Builds trust, enabling collaborative innovation

Types of Marketing Partnerships

• A marketing tactic

• A communications platform

• An energy efficiency program

• A certification program

• Energy efficiency itself

Marketing Tactic Partnership

• Home and Garden Show in SLC, UT

• Cross-functional EE partnership

• Centralized energy efficiency hub

• 2010

– ENERGYSTAR Exhibit House

– Shared benefit of coupons and staffing

• 2011

– Aligned bill inserts to incentivize attendance

– Bingo game co-promotion

– Redeemed coupons increased by 573% – Attendance increased by 20%

ENERGYSTAR®

Center

Marketing Program Partnership

• Clothes washer incentive program

• Began in 2007

• 33 electric and water utilities

• Shared administration, marketing and outreach

• Established, trusted network for future synergy and innovation

Traits of Successful Partnerships • Commitment to the partnership

• A collective vision

• A shared code of conduct

• Clarity of roles . . . and acceptance of changing roles

• Consistency in operations

• Knowledge made available to all

• ROI measured and communicated

• A “learning” partnership

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