Everyone knows natural gas smells.
It was the goal of Devaney and Associates to let people know that gas can also be seen and heard through a public awareness and education campaign for the Ohio Gas Association.
“The campaign was to communicate the reliability of natural gas but what to do if for some reason a leak ever occurs,” said Lisa D?Orsaneo, Devaney account executive. “They wanted to convey how to detect and respond to a leak.”
The campaign consisted of television spots statewide in nine markets in Ohio as well as print ads and posters in six counties. Targeted at customers in the service area as well as professional excavators, emergency responders and public officials, the campaign included statewide public relations, a lesson plan for teachers and a Web site. “We also did an operator tool kit so that the smaller agencies in the state could continue to promote it,” D?Orsaneo said.
Devaney also conducted statewide market research and found that 67 percent of homes in Ohio use natural gas. The campaign officially launched in January of 2006. “We wanted to get not only the winter months, but pre-spring before people started digging and planting,” D?Orsaneo said.
“We were looking at the creed of messaging and our creative director envisioned caution signs, and we went in that vein,” D?Orsaneo said of the icon used in the campaign.
“We tried to think of universal symbols, ones you see on signs, doorways and the type that anyone can comprehend, regardless of the language they speak,” said Cyd Owen, vice president and creative director at Devaney. “We figured out that the icon would be the lead visual message. So instead of words, readers would gain understanding of our main message from an icon first.”
Five people from Devaney in total worked on the campaign, which cost over $800,000 for all components.
Contact the agency
» Devaney and Associates, 606 Providence Road, Towson
» 410-296-0800
» www.devaney.net
