Insight and Incent – The Keys to the Energy Consumer

Two free, easy-to-use online services designed to help consumers track and manage their energy consumption and expenses are being scrapped. Google plans to pull the plug on PowerMeter in September, and Microsoft will discontinue Microsoft Hohm™ next May. As these early-adopter platforms fade into history, what have we learned?

Maybe this is simply additional proof that consumers don’t want to be bothered, that the cost of electricity is too low to justify time out of their busy lives to worry about. But I think it’s more apt to say it’s additional proof that it takes a whole lot more than “build it and they will come” to change consumer behavior. As we’ve been saying, consumers need an incentive, and utilities need to get a deep understanding of consumers to effectively motivate them.

So we’re excited about two new innovators who have come to our attention, and we’ll be watching them very closely. Continue reading

Tags: AMI, customer behavior, data, electricity consumer, energy industry, incentives, lower energy consumption, lower energy costs, marketing communications, rate payer, smart meter

Will WindMade Logo Blow Away Consumers?

The wind power industry unveiled its new WindMade™ logo recently, marking a big step toward helping consumers identify products made with this clean-energy source. The move is worth applauding and already has the support of many corporate giants including Microsoft, Ikea and Wal-Mart.

 Though it is yet to be determined which products will be the first to carry the new logo, criteria for using the designation requires that at least 25% of the electricity used to create a product must be derived from wind power.  Are there products that don’t require electricity in their creation?  Perhaps that’s a blog for another day.

For now, everyone involved in the project from the Wind Energy Foundation to the World Wildlife Fund, will have to wait and see what impact on purchase choice and behavior the new mark will have.  The degree of persuasiveness will ultimately depend on marketing.  If enough effort is put into awareness and education by those brands earning the designation, it stands to reason that sales and ROI will follow.

There are other gains these initial brands should also expect by promoting the mark in their marketing materials.  For starters, their sustainability halo will glow considerably brighter, positive PR mentions and placements will thrive and social media mentions will grow exponentially.

Currently, it’s hard to imagine a downside to this new and exciting initiative, unless its not supported by marketing.

Tags: alternative energy marketing, Energy, energy marketing, Green Energy, Ikea, microsoft, Sustainability, Wal-Mart, wind energy foundation, wind power industry, WindMade, World Wildlife Fund

A Full Summer Reading List

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some of my recent favorite books that I thought you might enjoy adding to your summer reading list.  Now I’m ready to list the titles I’ve lined up to read while in the sun or on vacation.  Each of these books is currently stacked up on my nightstand waiting to be prioritized and devoured.

1. Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon–and the Journey of a Generation by Shelia Wecker. I was actually given this book by a colleague earlier this year, but got distracted by Keith Richards and Steven Tyler’s memoirs.  Now, I’m  looking forward to exploring how these three distinct yet dovetailing artists bucked the expectations that had been laid out for them by previous generations and blazed a new path for women to follow.

2. We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen is said to be a spellbinding fictional book which spans 100 years (starting in 1848) and 4 generations of families from the small Danish coastal town Marstal. Jensen’s debut novel is already hailed as an instant classic.

3. Old Town by Lin Zhe. This is the story of an ordinary family caught up in the maelstrom that was China’s most recent century. Zhe’s  narrative ranges across the entire length of China, to California and back again, to the battlefields of the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance and the brutal “struggle” of the Cultural Revolution.

4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. This has been promoted as one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.  The lead character is autistic and I am looking forward to what’s sure to be a new voice and perspective.

5. The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards.  This is the story of a woman’s homecoming, a family secret, and the old house that holds the key to the true legacy of a family.  My sister recently mentioned that she is adopting a life goal inspired by this story, but won’t tell me what it is until I read the book.  So, I better get started.

As I look forward to reading all of these books this summer, some of which are rather long, it occurs to me that I’m going to need a longer season.  That’s a lot to ask for from a Chicago summer, but I’m remaining hopeful.

Now that I’ve given you many books to think about.  Please let me know what you’ll be reading this summer.

Tags: book list, Carly Simon--and the Journey of a Generation, Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Kim Edwards, Lin Zhe, Mark Haddon, Old Town, Shelia Wecker, summer reading list, The Curious Indident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Lake of Dreams

Trouble in the Barbie Dream House: Greenpeace Launches Social Media Assault Against Mattel

Greenpeace is notorious for launching social media attacks against companies like Nestle for their allegedly environmentally un-friendly corporate practices. Mattel was added to the Greenpeace hit-list last week when a viral video was released featuring the iconic Ken doll.  In the video, Ken is asked where Barbie was the previous weekend.  ”Top secret” pictures are then revealed depicting Barbie laughing as she is cutting-down a Sumatran rainforest with a chainsaw.  The images send Ken into a rage, yelling expletives, and he states he is going to dump Barbie. The Greenpeace video is available on YouTube.

Unfortunately for Mattel, the viral video was just one component of the social media campaign created to attack them for allegedly using paper derived from Sumatran rainforests.  The conversation continues on the Greenpeace International Facebook Page where banners appear reading:

“‘Barbie, You’re Dumped – I don’t date girls that are into deforestation.’ – Ken”

“Stop Mattel destroying rainforests for toy packaging.”

And calls to action like:

“Unlike Barbie” and “Act Now! Send an email to Bob Eckert, the CEO of Mattel” Continue reading

Tags: facebook, Greenpeace, Mattel, Social Media, Twitter, viral video

Utility of the Future Conference Highlights New Roles for Leading Change

Discussions on industry change, such as customers’ demand for more control and transparency, the rise of nontraditional competitors, and regulatory practices and policies, are stifling industry progress. This issue permeated the 4th Annual KEMA Utility of the Future Conference Leadership Series. Utility executives discussed industry issues and opportunities in a manner which would ensure their involvement in shaping the future, whereas they presently only participate in it.

The need to move faster toward more customer-centric realities punctuated this year’s event.  Opening remarks noted that the customers will reign supreme in their demand to control information.  This will require a major energy communications shift from simply presenting information to telling customers what they can accomplish with it. Continue reading

Tags: David Eves, Energy, John Somerhalder, KEMA, smart meter, utilities, utility

You had me at “Halal”

Tags: CBD, Colman Brohan Davis, halal, halal certification, Halal foodservice kit, IFANCA, ingredients, Lori Colman