ONE Gas, Inc. is one of the largest natural gas utilities in the United States providing natural gas distribution services to more than 2 million customers in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. For more than a decade, Hahn Public has managed the company’s Energy Efficiency Rebate Program marketing for both residential and commercial customers.
Increase Customer Adoption of Energy-efficient Natural Gas Appliances
One Gas divisions Oklahoma Natural Gas and Texas Gas Service wanted to create a new campaign to excite customer-prospects about how natural gas makes life better and inspire the purchase of energy-efficient appliances through a unique rebate program.
The Hahn Public team went into the field to directly interview today’s prospective natural gas customer. We were interested to find out what was important to them in their daily lives at home. More than 1,200 interviews and an in-depth narrative analysis of open-ended feedback revealed that the most valuable aspect of people’s home lives is “time.”
It feels like we never have enough time in the day and time with those we love feels in short supply as well. It’s easy to understand how natural gas appliances save families money. But they can also save time by cooking, heating and drying faster and more efficiently — which helps people enjoy life’s little moments and rituals with loved ones. Dinnertime, bath time, bedtime and more are all made just a little bit better with natural gas.
To arrive at this position, our creative team used a technique called “foregrounding” to make the everyday, remarkable. We do it by removing presumptions and highlighting things that are dismissed as obvious.
"Time Better Spent" Campaign
Through our unique creative lens, we created, “Time Better Spent,” and developed concepts showcasing families enjoying special times — often those that go unnoticed — at their homes.
We tested the concept in 12 focus groups with employees and customers in five markets across Oklahoma and Texas. The focus group audiences found the campaign informative about how natural gas creates time for them, influential about home energy choices and effective at reaching people. One participant summed it up by saying, “you easily spelled out why natural gas benefits me.”
The “Time Better Spent” campaign includes a full suite of TV, radio, print, digital, social and search advertising, and could grow to include web videos and collateral pieces for customers, home builders and appliance retailers. It provides both companies with long-lasting materials that will help them communicate with customers in a variety of different mediums.
Dinnertime Better Spent TV Spot
Campaign Billboards
Customer knowledge of natural gas benefits increased as did program participation.