ASK
For several years, we’ve worked closely with the sales/marketing team at Owens Corning that oversees the Owens Corning® Certified Energy Expert® (CEE) Program. This program includes 120+ independent insulation contractors across the country who are exclusively trained and certified by Owens Corning to install their products.
When Owens Corning had to cancel their National CEE Meeting and suspend all travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, they sought to reach their CEE members and help them feel supported during an uncertain time. Rather than scaling back communication, they chose to connect and find ways to support their members.
One initiative the CEE team had planned to unveil at the 2020 National CEE Meeting was around the value of branding. They wanted to empower their members and help them to see themselves as brand ambassadors for the CEE Program. To do this, they needed members to understand how consistent usage of the CEE logo in their individual markets would overall lead to a more nationally recognized program. Owens Corning turned to The Jakes Group for support to get this messaging out to their Certified Energy Experts®.
CREATE
As part of this initiative, our client wanted CEEs to have physical examples in hand to see ways they can co-brand with Owens Corning. In order to do that, we needed to send out a mailing to each member. Initially, the client sought a one-pager to complement the examples—which included a Certified Energy Expert® hat, window cling, stickers, warranty card, poster and more. We know that branding can be a topic that many people outside of the marketing world can find daunting. Thus, we recommended designing a comprehensive brochure rather than a one-sheeter to drive the “why” behind this initiative. Additionally, we leveraged the power of Owens Corning’s signature color, pink, to design an eye-catching box for the materials. With an uptick of online orders—and thus boxes—occurring during the pandemic, we wanted the packaging to be bold and noticed by recipients.
ACTIVATE
We oversaw the distribution of the Certified Energy Expert® Brand Ambassador Kit to 120+ CEE members across the country. Together, the materials educate CEE members on the importance of consistently co-branding with Owens Corning to make the Certified Energy Expert® brand more recognized and regarded. And, the kit included a pricing sheet and details on how to order the examples provided for their own company—making it easy for them to take action. We were then able to fulfill these orders and help the CEE members get the resources they need to promote their Certified Energy Expert® distinction and stand out from competitors.
During a time when in-person connection was not possible, we felt this was a powerful and unique way that our client engaged their members. They also pulled the messaging from the brochure into a video and e-mail, which they sent as a follow-up to the Brand Ambassador Kit mailing.