Retail Competition

Energy & Essentials

Historic move to retail competition

Comprehensive multi-year customer education campaign surrounding Lubbock Power & Light’s (LP&L) transition to retail electric competition including research and strategy development; paid, social, owned and earned media; customer service support; and website support.

CHALLENGE: EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE COMPLEX AND UNIQUE MOVE TO ERCOT

As the first municipally owned utility in Texas to opt-in to retail electric competition, Lubbock Power & Light (LP&L) faced the unique challenge of creating a strategic communications plan without an existing blueprint.

The overarching goal of this outreach campaign was to empower customers with the knowledge and resources necessary to make confident, informed decisions as they navigated the switch to retail electric competition. More specifically, LP&L’s goals included:

• Raising Awareness: Informing all relevant stakeholders about retail electric competition and the timeline for the transition, reminding customers that LP&L would no longer be an electric provider. This also included anticipating various stages of communication touchpoints, addressing potential customer concerns and coordinating in-person events to engage with customers.
• Developing Resources: Creating clear and straightforward tools to help the diverse customer base understand necessary information about the transition, including how to use the shopping website, tips on comparing offers, understanding technical terms, and selecting the best option to meet their individual needs.
• Driving Website Traffic: Directing customers to the dedicated retail competition section of the LP&L website, which served as a hub for all resources to inform and aid their decision-making process.

SOLUTION: LAUNCH MULTI-CHANNEL CUSTOMER EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

To educate the public about retail electric competition, we designed and implemented a phased customer education ad campaign across paid media: social, digital, radio, TV, out-of-home and print.

Each phase addressed a different part of the customer journey:

• Phase 1: “Competition is Coming”: Create initial awareness about the upcoming changes.
• Phase 2: “Prepare to Shop”: Encourage customers to learn more about their options for new retail electric providers as well as how to shop online.
• Phase 3: “Pick your Provider Now”: Prompt customers to pick and sign up with a new provider.
• Phase 4: “Next Steps”: Provide guidance on the transition to customer retail electric providers including timeline for the switch, billing details and LP&L’s role going forward.

The paid media directed customers to the LP&L website with a dedicated Retail Electric Competition section. Hahn developed direct mailers, e-newsletters, explainer videos, a chronology of the move to competition and detailed “how-to” guides for using the state’s shopping website, all housed on the LP&L website in one central location. We also supported LP&L on earned media outreach, with timely and newsworthy hooks, and on city council district meetings, community engagements and shopping fairs that provided hands-on assistance and interaction between customers and potential providers.

RESULTS: EMPOWERED AND INFORMED CUSTOMERS

LP&L’s comprehensive, multi-phase, multi-channel strategic communications plan successfully raised awareness among all stakeholders about retail electric competition and the transition timeline. We created clear and straightforward resources to help customers navigate the process, engaged them through in-person opportunities, and drove significant traffic to our dedicated website section. This approach ensured customers were well-informed and encouraged to select a new electricity provider within the inaugural shopping window.