In 2006, after a perfect storm of worldwide energy demand growth, natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and increased regulatory challenges, ConocoPhillips hired our team to help policymakers, and the public that guides them, change the way they think about the company. We identified our target audience as “issues – involved consumers”– those most likely to act in opposition or support, those with the highest propensity to vote, etc. We conducted in – depth national attitude and opinion research and observed that our target audience had a range of negative emotions about energy companies, from apprehension to anger. We discovered that the right messages and information measurably relieved their concerns and in some cases increased their support. We saw attitude and opinion improvement from negative to neutral, and neutral to positive. From our in – depth research we learned that in order for people to listen to ConocoPhillips’ pro – energy messages, they had to have a basis for trust in the company. We learned that by sharing positive messages about the kind of company ConocoPhillips was – with storytelling about corporate citizenship and philanthropic investment – we earned the right to talk about the energy independence, safety, technology, and the fact that ConocoPhillips advocated for a mix of energy solutions to meet future increased energy demands. “They’re a good company, so I’ll listen to what they have to say about energy.”
- We developed a long – term multi – tiered communications plan, including both proactive and reactive media relations, segmented by key audience to support and strengthen the image of ConocoPhillips as a credible, trustworthy source of information about fuel supplies, a national energy policy framework, and specific alternative traditional and nontraditional energy supply solutions.
- We supported communications through a national town hall tour of more than 30 markets across the U.S. designed to demonstrate credibility, believability and trustworthiness among thought leaders.
- We incorporated these guiding principles into ConocoPhillips’ national advertising plan, both creative and placement.
- In year – over – year, in – depth attitude and opinion survey research, we monitored ongoing improvement in brand positives as long as the education process continued.
