Shelton Group brings unparalleled energy efficiency marketing experience to clients nationwide. Click here to visit our homepage and learn how.
Energy Efficiency Marketing Expertise
The decision to become an ad agency specializing in green and energy efficiency marketing was a natural progression that took place after months of analysis. In 2003, Shelton Group made it official. Why? Because, frankly, someone had to do it. Other agencies specializing in such efforts only did so by reaching the already converted. But granola ads targeted to tree hugging hippies will only get your business so far. To make an impact, we needed to target mainstream consumers. Sustainable choices are on their mind, we just need to nudge them in the right direction. With a vision in mind and a handful of clients in tow, we began focusing on business development in an industry in need of green and energy efficiency marketing. We dug deeper and set the bar higher with our quarterly studies updated every year and used that research to deliver stronger creative.
In our work with the Alliance to Save Energy, we learned that most consumers don’t know that the average home produces twice as much greenhouse gas as the average car. Did you know that? Ninety-seven percent of the population didn’t. We used that research to deliver strong yet simple creative for the Alliance to Save Energy awareness campaign.
Of course, not all homes are average—especially not talking ones. Baltimore Gas and Electric took the idea of your home “asking for help” literally in another example of probing research used to deliver simple, strategic creative. Our energy efficiency marketing featured homes, electronics and appliances all speaking directly to the consumer in an honest tone. Honesty in advertising? Talk about taking a risk.
Becoming experts in green and energy efficiency marketing meant influencing more than our clients and consumers. It was time to take a closer look at ourselves. We’re an advertising agency made up of people from all walks of life. Our diverse backgrounds come together with one common passion: a desire to motivate consumers to make sustainable choices through green and energy efficiency marketing. In 2008, we moved to an office space that follows guidelines laid out in the USGBC Green Building Rating System For Commercial Interiors where we can bike or walk to lunch and recycle everything but the kitchen sink. But even we have room for improvement.
In August 2009, Suzanne challenged Shelton Group employees to step up their game in an agency-wide contest to see which department was most efficient. This friendly competition pitted our four agency departments—Creative, Research and Insight, Client Consultation and Operations—against each other to track and measure the green and energy efficiency choices they made in the office for three months. One thousand dollars was one the line for the winning team. Here were the results:
- 56,000 liters of water were saved when the Client Consultation department quit drinking coffee.
- 1.5 trees were saved when the accounting department streamlined their paper usage.
- 1,082 gallons of gas were saved by the Creative Department carpooling and riding bikes more often.
Because so much was accomplished, the prize money doubled and each department walked away with 500 dollars. This taught us that if you want someone to go green, a reward can be a great incentive.
For a more in-depth look at how Shelton Group strives to be an advertising agency that focuses on green and energy efficiency marketing, check out the Walking the Walk section of our Web site. We don’t just preach sustainability—we practice it.