» Client: Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
» Job: Create a national campaign that will demonstrate to Touchstone’s 22 million customers the value of being a co-op member, maintain Touchstone’s already high customer satisfaction ratings and reassure consumers the company is doing its best to keep rising energy bills at bay.
» Agency: White & Partners in Herndon
» Theme: “Looking out for you.” The campaign consists of five key messages — all developed through extensive customer research — that emphasize that the company is on the consumer’s side. Five television commercials each cover a specific topic from tips for cutting costs to safety around power lines.
» The concept: There’s strength in numbers. As a co-op, each person is not only a customer, but also an influential member of the company, said Carrie Edwards, executive vice president of White & Partners. The campaign carries that theme throughout print, radio and television ads. The most eye-catching of the commercials focuses on portraying the co-op members as a team. The Touchstone spokesman is surrounded by 6,000 mousetraps and 8,000 ping pong balls. When the spokesman drops a single ball it sets off a domino effect in the gym — demonstrating how one good idea can trigger many others. The commercials were all directed by Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, whose credits include “The Right Stuff” and “The Passion of the Christ.”
» The Plan: The five television ads launched on June 20. Airing on the three major networks, as well as cable networks such as Fox Sports, The Weather Channel and the Discovery Channel, the spots were shot to allow each of the 550 co-ops to personalize the ad with a tailored voice-over. Accompanying print and radio ads are scheduled to launch in the fall.
» Creative Team: Ken Majka (Executive Creative Director), Matt Walker (Senior Copywriter), Donald Bullach (Assistant Creative Director), Suzie Jaworowski and Penny Cunningham (Brand Planners), Bob Ragsdale, VP and Megan Bowen (Account Executives), Dana Cole (Agency Producer), Caleb Deschanel (Director), Tim Creame and George Kelly (Editors), Mcasso Music out of London
» Ages: 30 to 50
» Background: White & Partners is one of the largest independently owned advertising and marketing firms in the region. The company was founded in 1964 and has worked with such clients as the Virginia Tourism Corp., Wintergreen Resort, Marriott Execustay and Navy Federal Credit Union.
» Working on next: Campaigns for Software AG, a Germany company with offices in Reston and GTSI, a Chantilly-based technology solutions firm.
