Overview

The Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Energy Efficiency Programs recently earned the prestigious 2025 MEEA Inspiring Efficiency Award for Marketing for their groundbreaking ‘Inspire to Save’ campaign. This five-year marketing initiative was a testament to innovation, collaboration, and dedication to fostering energy efficiency awareness in traditionally underserved communities.

Project

The ‘Inspire to Save’ campaign aimed to increase awareness and participation in energy efficiency programs across two utility territories, targeting residential customers, particularly in underserved communities. By leveraging multi-channel marketing and community engagement, the campaign successfully addressed barriers to participation and delivered tangible results.

Project Roles

• Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas: Led an initiative to promote energy efficiency in service territories, building a dedicated team of experts to successfully educate customers on energy-saving strategies.
• Erthe Energy Solutions: Provided strategic oversight and connections to industry experts.
• Equinox Creative (formerly Mulder Consulting): Delivered strategic marketing solutions, including campaign planning, messaging development, and creative content.
• PACO Collective: Focused on reaching diverse audiences with culturally relevant messaging in English and Spanish.
• L3 Agency: Deployed local brand ambassadors to build trust and engage customers at community events.
• Franklin Energy: Provided staffing support for community events and facilitated assessment registration communications post-event.

Goals and Vision

The campaign set out to:

• Raise energy efficiency awareness and participation in communities with historically low engagement.
• Build trust by addressing key barriers such as cost concerns and lack of awareness.
• Leverage partnerships with trusted community organizations to create relatable, impactful messaging

A Collaborative Approach

We are proud to have been chosen by Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas to partner with a stellar team of diverse marketing and outreach professionals, including Erthe Energy Solutions, PACO Collective, L3 Agency, and Franklin Energy to bring this vision to life. Together, we crafted a campaign that met customers where they are—whether on a smartphone, at a bus stop, or at a community event.

Key highlights of the campaign included:

• Multi-Channel Outreach: Spanning billboards, radio, streaming ads, and grassroots community events.
• Tailored Messaging: Personalized communications in English and Spanish addressed specific customer concerns and barriers.
• Data-Driven Strategies: Market analysis, customer insights, and satisfaction surveys informed and refined our tactics.

Results That Matter

The campaign achieved remarkable milestones:

• 72 million impressions through paid media at an average cost of $0.0067 per impression.
• Over 129,000 digital ad clicks at a 10-20% lower cost than industry averages.
• More than 1,500 home energy assessment sign-ups in 2023, doubling the 2022 total.
• Improved Net Promoter Scores (NPS) from 8.0 in 2022 to 8.5 in 2023.

A Scalable Model for the Future

The ‘Inspire to Save’ campaign is not just a success story—it’s a replicable framework for driving energy efficiency awareness and adoption. By combining community trust with innovative marketing strategies, this initiative has set a new standard for outreach and engagement.

We congratulate Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas on this well-deserved recognition and are honored to have played a role in this transformative effort.