The document summarizes findings from Phase 1 of a marketing project for AMP, a utility company. It identifies key target audiences as businesses, residents, and influencers. Businesses are the highest priority as they contribute most to revenue and have the greatest potential impact on program participation and the community. While residents have lower revenue impact, home owners could improve awareness, perceptions, and participation in efficiency programs. Influencers like associations are important for their ability to impact multiple audiences.

1. Phase 1 Findings and Implications
February 2, 2010
1

2. Contents
• Objectives and process
• Who are we targeting?
• What’s our brand promise?
• What are implications for marketing plan?
• Next steps
2

3. Project Objectives
• Awareness/Perception Objectives
– Build trust and favorability as a local community partner and fiscally responsible
green utility. Specifically…
• Increase customers’ awareness of AMP’s renewable energy story
• Increase customers’ awareness and understanding of AMP’s programs and benefits,
especially around energy efficiency
• Increase the perception that AMP has lower rates than surrounding utilities
• Other metrics would relate specifically to the brand positioning like community or
empowerment
• Performance Objective:
– Increase participation in AMP’s energy-efficiency programs among priority target
audiences from x% to y% of customer base
• Energy efficiency programs are highly related to AMP’s renewable energy story and
thus are mutually reinforcing
3
Fordiscussion

4. Where we are in the process
4
Key deliverables and client involvement
Activities
Discovery
(11/19/09 – 1/25/10)
Planning
(1/25/10 – 2/26/10)
Execution
(3/1/10 – 5/26/10)
• Internal interviews
• Review current marketing materials and
proposed website redesign
• Review all available research on
residential and business customers
• Secondary research on other utilities
across the country known for renewable
energy
• 10 – 15 interviews with customers and
community members
• Findings and implications for
• target audience prioritization
• marketing strategies
• brand positioning/messaging
• Pre-Presentation of Phase 1: 1/5/09
• Final Presentation of Phase 1: w/of 1/25
Completion of Phase 1: (1/25/09)
• Using findings and agreements from Phase 1,
outline detailed marketing objectives and
measurable strategies and tactics
• Assign budget ranges for each
• Develop evaluation criteria for decision-making
• Completed marketing plan including expected
programs to be produced in 2010 along with
budgets for remaining phases
• Recommendations for metrics and evaluation
• Completion of Phase 2:(2/26/09)
• Design of agreed-upon materials
from Phase 2 (3/1-3/31/09)
• Preliminary design concepts to be
presented and agreed upon by AMP
(4/1-4/16/10)
• Design and copywriting of each
piece, whether offline or online
• Final design/copy for each agreed-
upon tactic will be delivered to AMP
in a usable format for printing or
online programming (5/26/10)
• Budgets TBD based on agreed-upon
deliverables from Phase 2

5. Purpose of the Discovery Phase
• AMP has requested identification and prioritization of target audiences
• To provide information that is focused and actionable, we have gathered
information that would provide critical input into:
– Target audience prioritization (who should we focus on?)
– Positioning and messaging (how should we talk to them?)
• Lack of quantifiable insights for business and influencer groups may
suggest the need for an online survey to benchmark and track key metrics
– More data was available for residential customers on awareness/perceptions of
AMP regarding renewable sources, importance of climate change, etc.
5

6. Contents
• Process and objectives
• Who are we targeting?
• What’s our brand promise?
• What are implications for marketing plan?
• Next steps
6

7. AMP has a wide range of customers
Small Business Home Owners
Large Business
Associations
Direct
Customers
Influencers
• While it’s important to communicate with all customers, prioritization
enables us to focus limited resources on the segments where there will be
the most “bang for the buck”
Renters
Other
Government
Everyone
Else
Secondary
Primary
Grass Root
Groups
Building
Management

8. • In this section, we have focused efforts on understanding each audience
with respect to the following five prioritization criteria:
Suggested prioritization criteria
8
Potential impact
to AMP
Impact on overall
awareness &
perceptions
Impact on overall
program
participation
Impact to
Community
Easy to reach
cost-effectively
How powerful is
this group in terms
of AMP revenue
and lobbying
power?
Will increased
communication to
this group move
the needle on
overall
awareness and
perceptions of
AMP?
Will increased
communication to
this group move
the needle on
overall customer
participation in
programs?
Will increased
communication to
this group move
the needle on
making a long-
term, positive
impact to the
community of
Alameda?
How easy and
cost-effective is it
to reach this
group?

9. Business – Who are they?
• There are 3,782 commercial accounts/11 industrial (2009 CAFR)
– They employ 23,507 individuals (not known how many of these are Alameda residents)
– Out of 7,335 business licenses registered most are small business: 76% of
Alameda businesses have less than 10 employees
– Account for 60%of Sales
– 10 largest customers make 20% of sales
– Just under 1 in 5 (18%) currently have an energy efficiency plan in place
• However, this may reflect the fact that the majority of businesses are small, likely
leasing their space, and therefore not as interested as building owners in having an
energy plan
9
Source: RKS; 2009 Business Customer Satisfaction Survey** Source: 2009 CAFR

10. Business customer impact to AMP is HIGH
• Business customers contribute the most revenue to AMP
– 67% of AMP’s total revenue comes from businesses
• Question: What % is from large vs small biz, and how does AMP define this?
• Businesses may be more sensitive to rate increases than residents
– The average increase considered “reasonable” for climate change solutions by
businesses was 8.7%; 30% said that no rate increase was reasonable
– 32% say that the prices are high, which is slightly lower than other areas yet not
an insignificant number
• Lobbying power is high, but typically through organizations we define as
“influencers”
– Large firms with big sales revenue tax base command more power
– Large businesses have a stronger voice/representation via trade associations
– Alameda Chamber of Commerce generally represents the interests of large
businesses in Sacramento
• I.E. Current customers like Federal agencies (built-in lobbying), building owners (have big lobbyists
like BOMA), research firms and Safeway.
10
Source: RKS; 2009 Business Customer Satisfaction Survey**

11. • Awareness of AMP’s Renewable Energy is unknown
– We recommend getting a benchmark of this measure and tracking over time
• On key image measures like trust, AMP scores slightly – but not significantly – lower
than other utilities
Potential impact among business customers to
improve awareness and perceptions is MEDIUM
11
-.4
-.2
-.2
-.3
-.5
Given that only 29% of
business customers
feel that AMP
communications is
relevant, it’s possible
that attitude/perception
shifts can be made
solely through more
effective
communication rather
than (or in conjunction
with) operational
enhancements
Source: RKS; 2009 Business
Customer Satisfaction Survey

12. Potential impact is HIGH among business customers to
improve program participation
• AMP business customers in general have low awareness and participation
in energy efficiency programs
– 46% are aware of EE programs and rebates
– 44% are aware that AMP offers free energy audits
– 66% have not participated in AMP programs
• Only 38% of business customers are satisfied with the energy-efficiency
actions taken at their organization, suggesting significant opportunity for
AMP to help
• Note that while this research does not break down business type, we can
assume that small business (as the vast majority of businesses in Alameda)
is the group where we can affect the greatest shift
12
Source: RKS 2009 Business Customer Satisfaction Survey

13. 13
• Business is the economic engine for communities, and AMP can play a role
in attracting, keeping and growing businesses in Alameda
– Lower rates than PG&E plus energy savings assistance and incentives can also
play a role in attracting and keeping businesses
• AMP offers an Economic Development Incentive Discount (EDID) to attract businesses
to locate or expand in Alameda
“It’s important that AMP helps us be at the lowest rate possible based on our usage.
We’re providing jobs, we need to work together with the city utilities to help keep us
here and ensure we can continue to afford to stay.”
– Leverage AMP’s renewable energy to attract and keep new businesses for whom
this is an important part of their mission/values/brand
• Can include a range of businesses, including start-ups in the alternative energy space
as well as those seeking LEED-certified buildings (of which renewable energy is a
criteria)
– The ability to not deal with PG&E is also a plus in a business location decision
– “If someone was thinking of relocating here, AMP would be a selling point. Green power that’s
affordable and the service is good. They have their own utility, doesn’t resell so you don’t have
to deal with PG&E.”
Impact of business customers to the
community is HIGH

14. Large and small businesses are equally important to
AMP but will need to be reached different ways
14
Potential Impact
to AMP (revenue
and lobbying
power)
Impact on overall
awareness and
perceptions
Impact on overall
program
participation
Impact to
community
Easy to reach
cost-effectively
Total
Large Business
High – Significant % of
revenue, ability to
lobby for lower rates
Low* – Very small
percentage of total
business customers
Low – Small number of
customers won’t move
the needle on overall
participation
High – Leverage
renewable power and
lower rates to attract &
keep large businesses
High: Small group,
dedicated account reps
for the top 10% of
business customers
Small Business
Medium – high % of
revenue, ability in
aggregate to lobby for
lower rates
High for biz:* The vast
majority of business
customers, this group
is where the gap needs
to close
High* – Support recent
launch of reAMP for
small businesses
High – Leverage
renewable power & low
rates to attract & keep
small business, esp.
start-ups in renewable
energy
Medium: smaller group
than residential, can
reach through business
association channels
* Data not available by business size; suggest new survey to benchmark this and other key measures like brand/positioning
IMPACT
LOW HIGH

15. Residential – Who are they?
15
• 34,217 residential accounts: Home owners 50%, 37% of Sales
• Single family home owners are densely located in two areas and can serve
as the ambassadors for a sustainable lifestyle to other community members
• Renters are dispersed across the community and will likely be harder to
reach (multi-tenant property owners will be addressed in separate section)
Single Family Homes Multi-Tenant Properties
Map Source: 2007 US Census Source: 2010 ASPW

16. 16
Residents’ impact on AMP is LOW
• Residents outnumber businesses by 17 to 1, yet contribute only one-third of
AMP’s revenue
• Their large number makes them harder to reach, and the low revenue means a lower ROI on
marketing dollars
• Price sensitivity is low, yet there’s lack of awareness
of how AMP’s rates compare with other utilities
• 50% agreed that a 20% rate increase is “reasonable” for
renewable energy
• With only 38% accurately understanding AMP’s rate
advantage over other utilities, there is an opportunity for education
here to raise awareness
• Residents have minimal lobbying power individually, although do have a voice
through influencer organizations like HOA* and have easy access to city officials
Source: RKS 2009 Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey

17. Opportunity to improve awareness and perceptions
in this group is relatively HIGH
17
• Awareness of AMP’s Renewable Energy is Low
– We have a significant opportunity to move the needle on improving perceptions of AMP’s
renewable energy among residential customers.
• We also have an opportunity to improve perceptions that AMP works hard
to keep prices down (currently only 39% of respondents believe this)
“Most of our tenants do not know that AMP
provides renewable energy, and such a high
percentage.”
Source: RKS 2009 Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey

18. Opportunity to improve awareness and perceptions
in this group is relatively HIGH
• While customer satisfaction is high, trust in AMP is lower than other utilities
– 78% of residents are satisfied with AMP, which is high relative to other areas
– Yet only 57% say they trust AMP
• In addition to the spin-off of the cable service, trust can be enhanced through improved
communication on issues they care about
18
Source: RKS 2009 Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey

19. Opportunity to improve program participation is
HIGH, primarily among home owners
19
• Residents are receptive to messages about energy efficiency*
– 67% of Alameda residents are concerned about the environment and climate
change
– 51% are committed to saving energy at home
– “They want programs that help them save money on energy costs - but don’t know where to
find that information. They don’t go to the AMP website. Perhaps one central place to give it
to them that is easy, makes it easy to understand rebates, lets them know about energy
audits…” – INFL
• AMP’s energy efficiency programs (ie. audits, solar, etc.) are primarily
geared towards the 17,000 residential customers who are home owners
• We need a better understanding of residential program participation to
measure improvements here
– Studies suggest we might target 10% to 15% participation in energy audits**,
which reflects the national average participation rate
Sources: *RKS 2009 Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey, **2009 Energy Pulse Study, Shelton Group

20. Potential impact of residents on the community
is HIGH for home owners
• While “the community” is largely comprised of residents, it’s likely that only
50% of the population – the home owners – have a strong vested interest
• Investments made in home energy efficiency is likely to improve property
values and therefore tax revenues
– According to the Appraisal Institute, for every dollar saved in annual utility costs,
homeowners can expect to add $20 to their home's market value.
• (Caveat: this is old data from 1998 and still quoted as recently as this year. Newer
supporting research is available for the commercial market, not for homeowners)
• We can help boost pride in the Alameda community among residents who
care about environmental issues and will resonate with AMP’s story
20

21. Residential is a lower priority market overall vs.
businesses, yet homeowners merit attention
21
Potential Impact
to AMP (revenue
and lobbying
power)
Impact on overall
awareness and
perceptions
Impact on overall
program
participation
Impact to
community
Easy to reach
cost-effectively
Total
Home Owners
Low: Small % of
revenue, low price
sensitivity
High – very low
awareness of
renewable energy,
opportunity to boost
trust
High: Home owners
much more likely than
renters to embark on
EE initiatives
High: Home owners
would likely have a
deeper interest and
pride in Alameda
community
Low: While we have
dense concentration
of home owners in
two areas which
could help, 17,000 is
significantly larger
audience than
businesses
Renters
Low: Small % of
revenue, low price
sensitivity
High – very low
awareness of
renewable energy,
opportunity to boost
trust
Low: Home owners
much more likely than
renters to embark on
EE initiatives
Low: Home owners
would likely have a
deeper interest and
pride in Alameda
community
Low: 17,000 is
significantly larger
audience than
businesses
* Data not available by business size; suggest new survey to benchmark this and other key measures like brand/positioning
IMPACT
LOW HIGH

22. Influencers – Who are they?
Associations
– Business Association
– Realtors Association
– Home Owners Association
– Green Associations
– Other Community Associations
– Chamber of Commerce
Building Management Associations
– Developer/Owner on site
– Absentee Owned
– Local Property Management Firms
– Regional Commercial, industrial Real
Estate Brokers
Government
– Utilities (Water, Electric, Waste)
– Department services (Fire, Police,
Economic Development, Community
Services)
– Public Works : School District (Education/
Library)
– City office
Grass Roots Organizations
– CASA
– Bike Alameda
22

23. 23
INFLUENCERS - POWER IN NUMBERS
WHO POWER PROGRAMS OTHER REACH
Associations
Business
Harbory Bay Realty N/A Network/Edu
Harbor Bay Owners Assoc 100 bizs' Network Home building 2800 email/news
GABA 100 members Network/Edu
West Alameda Business Dist 125 members Education/Network Newsletter/Online
Alameda County Industries (ACI) N/A Outreach Education 700 email alerts/News
Park Street Business 400 members Network/Shared ads
Façade grants
$100,000 Newsletter Online
Chamber of Commerce 525 Bizs Network/Resources local gov review
25K circ. Newsletter/
ads
Home
Garden Isle Homeowners Assoc NA NA NA NA
Willows Homeowners Assoc NA
Islandia Homeowners Assoc NA
California Apartment Owners Association 20,000 CA Lobby Efforts Education
Other/Grassroots Group
Community Action for Sustainable Alameda
(CASA) N/A action/volunteer blob/newsletter
Bike Alameda N/A action/volunteer comm services NA
Boys & Girls Club 3000 BOD/AB Extensive
Red Cross N/A
Government – Sister City of
Alameda Department
Other Utilities (Water/Waste/Electricity) N/A
City (Fire/Police) N/A Disaster/prevention
Unified School District N/A
Mayor's Office N/A Green Initiative Group Effort
College of Alameda N/A
Economic Development Dept
Influencers – Who are they? – cont’d
WorkinProgress
We are currently
gathering more detailed
information on
influencer reach (ie.
number of members)
and potential for
partnership

24. Influencer Impact on AMP is HIGH
• Direct revenue impact to AMP is unknown, but likely just a small percentage
of the business revenue base
– However, indirect revenue impact is high given the influence these organizations
have on their members
• Key influencer associations have significant lobbying power
– Rental Housing Association of Northern Alameda County (RHANAC) represents
over 20,000 rental property owners and is one of the fastest growing local
chapters of the California Apartment Association (CAA) - the largest statewide
organization representing Rental Housing Providers.
24

25. Potential impact is HIGH among influencers to
improve awareness and perceptions
– .
25
• Awareness of AMP’s Renewable Energy among Influencers is unknown
– However, we can partner with influencers to boost awareness among residential
and business customers
– “We have a newsletter and would like to promote AMP - but need content.”
– “We do a newsletter every first of the month – AMP provides input maybe a few
times a year. Big opportunity there.”
– Trust and overall perceptions are not tracked among influencer groups…
however:
– By partnering with them to reach other audiences, it’s likely that we will
positively impact these measures among both influencers themselves
as well as their constituencies
– Recommend benchmarking and tracking on these measures

26. Potential impact is HIGH among influencers to
improve program participation
– .
26
• Awareness and uptake of EE programs is unknown
– Again, we can leverage influencers to reach business and residential customers
more cost effectively
– Because of their small number, consider direct outreach programs to generate
program sign-up and case studies among influencers to generate referrals and
communications to the community
• There should be high interest in energy efficiency programs among building
owners and managers due to bottom-line impact, including
• Rental premiums of 3.5 percent on US office properties
• 6% increase in occupancy for “ENERGY STAR” buildings
• 16-17% premium on sales prices per square foot
Source: 2009 Maastricht University study, Doing Well by Doing Good

27. Potential impact of influencers on the
community is HIGH
• As influencers are the mobilizers of community, they play a critical role
• Partnering with influencers can aid AMP in reaching, educating and
motivating the Alameda community as a whole
• Partnering with building management and building owners could improve
multi-tenant property valuations, thereby increasing tax revenue for the city
27

28. Influencers have the greatest potential to
move the needle on key measures
28
Potential Impact
to AMP (revenue
and lobbying
power)
Impact on overall
awareness and
perceptions
Impact on overall
program
participation
Impact to
community
Easy to reach
cost-effectively
Total
Influencers
High: small % revenue,
yet strong ability to
lobby for lower rates
High: Can partner with
influencers to cost-
effectively reach other
audiences
High: Can partner with
influencers to cost-
effectively reach other
audiences, as well as
improve EE of
commercial buildings
High: Influencers are
the mobilizers of
community. Building
owners/mgrs can
influence property
values thru EE
High: Limited number
of influencers make
them an easy, cost-
effective group to
reach
LOW HIGH

29. Recommended Prioritization
• After exploring all target audiences, we believe that a strong focus should
be placed on influencers in order to reach the other audiences as well as
recognize their power within the community
• Secondary emphasis should be placed on business customers, followed by
residents (primarily home owners)
Home
Owners
Business
Influencers

30. Contents
• Process and objectives
• Who are we targeting?
• What’s our brand promise?
• What are implications for marketing plan?
• Next steps
30

31. A brand is a promise delivered
• Strong brands create a strong emotional, relevant connection with their
audiences in a way that’s both credible and differentiated
• Brand promise serves as a context or lens through which we develop
marketing programs… informs not only what we say but how we say it
Distinctive
(Differentiation)
Desirable
(Relevance)
Deliverable
(Credibility)

32. What do customers want from a power company?
• For business customers, the bar is very low on expectations – reliable
power at low rates
– ”They’re just a service provider. Keep my power on and reduce my costs. Let me know
you’re working on saving me money.”
• Business customers are also interested in communication on relevant
issues like energy savings and outages
– “Need to follow up on the cause (of the outage) and what they’ll do about it, even if it’s an act
of God.”
– “Energy audit and tips…we could utilize those services if they’re offered.”
• Influencers have additional hopes for how the local power company could
add value, including community involvement and education
– “Want them to be more active in the community…to help serve providers build the
community. Provide a safety net for kids – want to see all institutions that serve city get
behind that in a greater way.”
– “My energy provider? Number one deal besides making lights go on – is to educate people
about energy conservation.. ..Hammer away as hard as possible about new technologies,
Energy star appliances. Much better about rebates , home and biz energy audits.”
32
Relevance

33. What do customers want from a power
company? – cont’d
• In addition to reliable power at low rates, residential customers are also
interested in education on energy conservation
– “I just want to know I’m getting the best rate possible, and that I can talk to a real
person if something goes wrong”
– “Homeowners want to go green and DIY. If there was somewhere they could go
to learn about Tips and tricks for homeowners to cut energy down by 50-60%
because it’s hard to find or figure out what to do”
• … as well as having a power company that makes a meaningful contribution
to the pride they feel in their community.
– “If AMP were recognized as green leader - would be wonderful - I already went to
the town square to watch them win some green award last year - that was
exciting. We are a very proud town”
33
Relevance

34. Do customers care about renewable energy?
• Among business customers, some are leaders in green building and
sustainable practices and are proud of being an example
– “We try to be green here at Abbott. I’m already energy efficient proactive here, already doing
a lot of stuff that’s considered to be green like different type of lighting… programs that I
started myself”
– “Renewable energy was important to the people who were involved in making sure we have
a LEED gold building. It helped us decide where to move…. It is a message we convey to
anyone who comes on a tour of the plant.”
• Yet most business customers have not created major initiatives in energy
efficiency
– 43% of business survey respondents have “given no thought” to EE, while only
18% have a plan in place… however, those with a plan in place may be a high
percentage of building owners vs. leasees.
– We have no data on importance of renewable energy as part of their EE and
sustainability actions, which may be an opportunity for further research
34
Relevance
Source: RKS 2009 Business Customer Satisfaction Survey

35. Do customers care about renewable energy?
• The influencers we spoke with felt that renewable energy is important
– When I hear “power” I think Conservation. I recently became a certified building operator and
did classes – it changed my perspective. I’m trying to give this info to other associations”
– “ I expect my power company to be ‘green’ and ‘clean’ but not have to be 100%”
• Among residential, “green” is both familiar and important
– Two thirds of Alameda residents are “very familiar” and “very concerned” about global
warming and climate change… higher scores than residents in other areas on this subject
• “We here in Alameda are very proud of our green library – we brag about it a lot”
• “We’re a small little town but many of us are working hard at it {being green} we have a
lot of committees”
35
Relevance
Source: RKS 2009 Business Customer Satisfaction Survey

36. 36
What’s credible about AMP?
• Local and accessible
– “Neighborhood power company”
– Reach a live person
– Minimal red tape
• Important part of Alameda community
– City Fund contributor
– Provide community education
– Historic part of community
– Support non-profit work
– Sponsor key city events
• Leader in renewable energy
– Long-time geothermal sourcing
– 80% renewable energy provider
– Exceeds regulatory requirements
– Diversity power sourcing portfolio
• Better alternative to PG&E
Credibility
“With AMP, you’re dealing with a hometown
provider. When I call with a question you feel
like they’re part of the community… you get to
talk to real people. One woman who helped us
get a rebate when we moved here still calls
every once in a while to check in.” – BIZ
“I know they already help the Red Cross and
the Fire/Police Fund – but also I see them at
Earth Day and we all enjoy the Xmas Lane too”
– INFL
“If someone were thinking about moving
here… AMP would be a selling point. Green
power, but It's affordable and the service is
good. They have their own utility, doesn’t resell
so you don’t have to deal with PGE”
– BIZ

37. What could we do better?
AMP could be more proactive in terms of communication with all audiences
• We can improve with business customers on reliability issues and rates…
– “I’ve had a few hiccups in reliability here that are unexplainable. There’s no communication;
they’ve been poor on that.” – BIZ
– “I did call them about the recent power outage, but I never heard a final resolution.” – BIZ
– “They’ve given estimates on rate increases but never followed up. Once they know, it would
be good if they’d give us a heads up. If it’s different than our estimate we can reforecast” –
BIZ
– “Rates increase will be about 10-15%... people will ask if they are running their business
efficiently. Not aware where rates compare – maybe they should provide this.” – INFL
• While residential customers aren’t giving credit where credit is due
– Only 31% say that AMP is one of the “top rated” on renewables, while 36% don’t
know or aren’t sure. Another third say that AMP is about average
– Only 26% are aware of the percentage of electricity provided by AMP that comes
from renewable or carbon-free sources
– “ I read both town papers every day but don’t much see much written about green efforts of
our power company.”
37
Credibility
Source: RKS 2009 Residential Customer Service Survey

38. What could we do better? – cont’d
• There’s room to improve credibility across all audiences on renewable
power and energy efficiency by simply getting the word out
– “It’s good to be green – and conserve. I know they (AMP) are using good stuff –
I’m not sure how much” – INFL
– “I didn’t even know they offered energy audits” - INFL
– “Homeowners do not know about programs that AMP offers - energy audits,
incentives, and rebates, etc. There needs to be a concerted PR campaign.” –
INFL/RESI
38
Credibility

39. How can we differentiate?
• While PG&E is not a direct competition, many customers (and potential
customers) could benefit from knowing the edge AMP has over PG&E in a
number of areas including:
• Average rates are 29% lower than PG&E/as is average Residential monthly bill
• More accessible – less red tape (Friendly)
• Provide Free Audits
• 80% Renewable energy vs. 15%
• Business customers had a lot to say about the advantages of AMP
– “AMP has been a lot easier to work with vs.. PG&E. They’re smaller, and have the best
people to work with… they’re resourceful and very responsive”
– “PG&E… I don’t want to knock them, they’re fairly reliable, but I had some issues. Their rep
would call me and say he’d do this and that, and he never followed through”
– “At PG&E we had a rep assigned to each account. But the guy assigned to us, you can’t
leave a voicemail message; it directs you to an 800#. He obviously doesn’t want to deal with
us. The 800# is an automated system that tries to route you to the right person; I got
someone that was for residential service who then tried to transfer me to the guy I tried
calling first”
Source: 2010 ASPW
39
* From website evaluation; see appendix for screen shots and commentary
Differentiation

40. How can we differentiate?
• Investment into the community is recognized by some
– “If PG&E and AMP were a choice that I had – I would still choose AMP for the money that
goes into fund that goes back to the community.” – RES
• … as well as the lower rates
– “I know that we are paying less than if we were with PG&E. AMP tells us that, and I know we
pay less. We got an incentive to move here”. – BIZ
• While PG&E is regarded as having good reliability overall, AMP is seen as a
better choice
– “If AMP were a car it would be a LEXUS (great service) vs. PG&E – Hyundai”
– INFL
– “Buick – nice big dependable car, doesn’t give you a thrill but doesn’t let you down”. – INFL
– AMP is a Honda or Toyota. Reliable, won’t let you down. PG&E is a GM car, like a Chevy.
Experience has been that… I don’t want to knock them, they’re fairly reliable, but I had some
issues.” - BIZ
40
Differentiation

41. Implications for positioning
• Anchor positioning on AMP’s competitive strength of being the local
neighborhood power company that has a vested interest in helping Alameda
grow
• Renewable energy and lower rates are proof points of how AMP powers
sustainable growth, not anchor points
• Instead of focusing on “what’s in it for me” benefits, highlight “what’s in it for
us”
– Enables broad messaging to be relevant to all target audiences, while allowing
ability to tailor messages to specific groups
– Leverages community strengths of AMP and point of difference from PG&E
41

42. Implications for positioning, – cont’d
• Here is a suggested positioning framework that includes these implications
• The positioning is meant to guide future communications, not be the
communications themselves
– Some aspects will be communicated through imagery and tactics (like visibility and
sponsorship at city events, or the ability to reach a live friendly person)
– Flexible framework enables different aspects of the positioning to be “dialed up” or “dialed
down” depending on the specific audience or execution
42
AMP is our neighborhood power company that empowers us – our community,
businesses and residents – to flourish
Flourish together as a community Flourish individually (resi or business)
A nationwide leader in renewable energy, AMP
• helps attract new businesses to our community
• Helps us live greener and more sustainably
AMP invests in our community to make it stronger
AMP helps us save money and be more efficient
• Lower rates than PG&E
• Audits and tips on energy savings
AMP’s reliable power and people gives us
confidence to grow
How we do business (personality): Friendly, accessible, practical, forward-thinking, reliable

43. Contents
• Objectives and process
• Who are we targeting?
• What’s our brand promise?
• What are implications for marketing plan?
• Next steps
43

44. We envision four goals for the AMP
marketing plans and programs
44
FOCUS
Focus resources on
priority audiences
REACH
Create awareness
of strengths
ENGAGE
Educate and motivate
participation
Dedicated reps (top)
Business e-newsletters
Scripts for CS reps and
billing statements
Mobile/Twitter alerts,
email for outage
Direct outreach
Community e-newsletters
Articles/sponsorships in
member newsletters
Billboards (guerilla)
Media coverage
Community events
Resi e-newsletter
Truck signage
EE microsite for business
Business case studies &
referral program
Influencer outreach to sign
up for programs
Influencer case studies &
referrals (“we saved $x”)
Co-marketing & programs
“Reducing Energy Bill”
microsite with tips
Sign-ups at community
events
SAVE
Money and paper
Move communications online
Dial back on bill stuffers, direct to web through bill messages, CS rep scripts
Find existing EE tips and information from other sources and get permission to reprint
Exampletactics

45. Need to clarify goals and metrics, and decide
if benchmark survey is needed
• Before determining metrics, we need to collectively agree on priority
objectives. Proposed objectives include:
• Awareness/Perception Objectives (measured by online survey)
– Build trust and favorability as a local community partner and fiscally responsible
green utility. Specifically…
• Increase customers’ awareness of AMP’s renewable energy story
• Increase customers’ awareness and understanding of AMP’s programs and benefits,
especially around energy efficiency
• Increase the perception that AMP has lower rates than surrounding utilities
• Other metrics would relate specifically to the brand positioning like community or
empowerment
• Performance Objective (measured by AMP)
– Increase participation in AMP’s energy-efficiency programs among priority target
audiences from x% to y% of customer base
• Energy efficiency programs are highly related to AMP’s renewable energy story and
thus are mutually reinforcing
45
Fordiscussion

46. Contents
• Process and objectives
• Who are we targeting?
• What’s our brand promise?
• What are implications for marketing plan?
• Next steps
46

47. Next Steps
• Input into open questions
– Clarify marketing goals and targets
– Confirm specific programs to focus on
– Discuss whether to move forward with benchmarking awareness and perceptions
among influencer and business customers
• Ozone will then move into marketing planning stage
47