Issue

For nearly a decade, Pennsylvanians paid the same rate for electricity with no increase in price to account for inflation and global increases in commodity prices. No other commodity in Pennsylvania was price-fixed this way, yet the end of electricity rate caps in Pennsylvania was predicted to be the apocalypse for businesses. But Jan. 1, 2010, came and went, and doomsday never arrived.  Constellation Energy needed to stand out among countless other energy providers entering Pennsylvania’s newly competitive electric market.

Strategy

La Torre Communications planned a long-range public affairs and media campaign to educate the public on the benefits of electric choice. La Torre:

• Positioned Constellation Energy as one of the most vocal advocates of electric choice in Pennsylvania, which increased Constellation’s recognition among potential clients.
• Conducted a large-scale earned media campaign that placed Constellation in the state’s largest newspapers and key business journals.
• Wrote and published editorial pieces describing the benefits of electric choice.
• Met with editorial boards in Pennsylvania’s major media markets.
• Formed strategic partnerships with local chambers of commerce that named Constellation as their preferred energy provider.
• Educated members of partnering chambers on the benefits of electric choice with informational workshops and newsletters.

Result

Constellation Energy had one of the most successful rollout campaigns among energy providers, securing thousands of new customers through an education-based media campaign.