Summit Blue Consulting: Evaluation of Consumer Behavioral Research
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Community-Based Social Marketing
This section discusses the use of community-based social marketing techniques in the promotion of energy conservation (Sections 3.1 through 3.3) as well as some non-energy examples (in Section 3.4). While both social marketing and community-based social marketing (CBSM) market behaviors and ideas rather than products, CBSM focuses directly at addressing the specific barriers and benefits perceived within a given community. The approach exploits what psychologists and sociologists know about energy: it can be deeply personal and rooted in community context. By focusing on specific, local barriers to efficiency and conservation behaviors, this approach can yield significant impacts as discussed below.
Historically, community-based efforts have been “grassroots,” homespun efforts typically run by a variety of non-profits with little control on message or regional cohesion. These efforts are beginning to come of age in many regards as larger campaigns integrate the principles of community-based social marketing into multi-faceted programs. First, as the New Jersey Clean Energy Task Force learned in their Project Porchlight effort, the use of non-profits as partners gives utilities and state entities access to communities through credible messengers in that they have no commercial gain from participation. Non-profits can also say and do things that utilities sometimes cannot, for instance, taking a more light-hearted, nimble, and fun tone in their communications. Community-based social marketing campaigns are also starting to leverage new technologies such as geographic information system (GIS) enhanced online databases and mobile technologies (e.g., iPhone applications) to greatly enhance volunteers’ ability to canvass neighborhoods, track their efforts, and collect evaluation-grade data. Community-based social marketing efforts require discipline and often techno-savvy to scale well, but have been demonstrated to deliver cost-effective energy savings when implemented properly.
3.1 Door-to-Door Canvassing: One Change/Project Porchlight
One of the challenges of community-based social marketing strategies is that they can be difficult to scale. If each community has specific and potentially different barriers to change, can one size fit all? One example that addresses this scalability concern is One Change/Project Porchlight (a United Nations Environment Programme Partner), a community-based social marketing non-profit that has run direct engagement energy efficiency campaigns in 900 communities across North America. Their fun and upbeat campaigns are typically sponsored by states and/or utilities to mobilize volunteer resources in their own communities. One Change harnesses the power of person-to-person communication by training volunteers to create a moment of reciprocity that leads to broad public participation in energy efficiency programs. Volunteers from existing community groups deliver a CFL bulb or other low cost efficiency gift (other efforts use a tire gauge or water savings device) door to door and at community events. The gift attracts attention and enables a conversation, neighbor to neighbor, to empower people to make smart choices about how they use energy. The bulb is bundled with other utility or state energy efficiency program info. Because the contact is made by someone the person at the door recognizes as a credible source (a friend or neighbor or community leader), the message sticks. When comparing bulb recipients to those who were not reached through this door-to-door strategy:
- Significantly more bulb recipients signed up for other utility programs. In New Jersey, a single county in which One Change volunteers brought information about refrigerator recycling while at the door accounted for 25% of the state’s refrigerator recycling program.
- Puget Sound Energy (PSE) customers in Washington state who received a Project Porchlight bulb were significantly more likely than before the campaign to purchase CFLs the next time a bulb burned out (77% vs. 65%). Those who did not receive a bulb became less likely to purchase CFLs over the same period.
- New Jersey residents who received a bulb were significantly more likely than before the campaign (50% vs. 23%) to say they have purchased a CFL bulb as a way to reduce energy consumption.
- In the BC Hydro sponsored campaign, 41% of those that received a bulb rated BC Hydro Power Smart program “very favorable,” while just 27% of those that did not receive a bulb gave the same rating.
One Change has developed a set of sophisticated web-based program planning, reporting, and evaluation tools to manage their campaigns and volunteer resources. This helps consistency and provides verification for sponsors. They use a Google Maps-enabled GIS tool that can incorporate multiple sources of data, including customer energy use and demographic data increase the effectiveness of street-by-street outreach. An iPhone app and other GIS tools make lead generation for other energy efficiency programs possible, and facilitate quick follow-up opportunities specific to the local host utility programs and household. One Change’s award-winning Project Porchlight is the number one not-for-profit pledge driver for the Energy Star Change a Light program, and Porchlight is credited with making PSE’s Rock the Bulb retail campaign a broad-based community success that reached new customers for PSE’s programming. Without any purchased media, One Change brought out over 1,000 volunteers to over 172,000 households in the PSE service territory. Communities were strategically chosen to support local Rock the Bulb events, and 25% of those that attended a Rock the Bulb event heard about it from Project Porchlight.
One Change campaigns extend the reach of traditional energy efficiency programs by mobilizing those customers who have already participated in past energy efficiency programs to reach out to those who have not yet been engaged by traditional programs. Volunteers report that the sense of community, connection, and contribution are extremely motivational. “People are excited to be part of an action oriented campaign,” says Christopher Kelly of One Change, “in fact we find that volunteers are clamoring for more opportunities to participate in future initiatives.” Almost all (94%) surveyed say they would participate in another campaign with One Change. Participants seem to love the bright green clothing and branding, it makes them feel connected to a “collective identity or movement.”
One Change’s experience shows that mobilizing existing community networks can speed up market transformation by converting awareness to action at the local level. Volunteers reported that they talk to their friends and family more about energy conservation since volunteering (59%) and many report that the ability to be involved in their own local community was why they participated (65%). Sponsors benefit from strong brand association with positive local action (tracked by post campaign surveys) and an earned media value that is typically three times the media buy. Total costs for the program in simple form are about 1-2 cents per kWh depending on scale. Now that One Change has registered and trained 12,000 volunteers for Project Porchlight, it is experimenting with other program options to improve return on investment (ROI) beyond the bulb, e.g., by being able to re-engage Porchlight volunteers to revisit homes to support appliance switch-outs or home energy audits. The group uses the phrase, “using light bulbs to change people,” citing the number of volunteers and those touched by the program that go on to have energy conversations with neighbors.
In the Northwest, an approach like the One Change community-based strategy and campaign toolset could support an existing region-wide branded campaign as well as distinct utility-by-utility messages. By making it possible for people of all backgrounds to take a simple first step, the foundation can be laid for behavioral change and broad brand recognition for supporting utility identity and program collateral.
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