Babcock & Wilcox

Established energy company repositions as a future-focused innovator by marketing its environmentally friendly inventions

How do you deal with a reputation that is 150 years old? You make it your credential and reposition from the “old dirty-coal boiler company” to the “clean power production technology company.” Then you symbolize that new position with the launch of a major innovation in clean energy power production, B&W’s BrightLoop™ new net-zero / net-negative hydrogen production process.

Repositioning is a tough challenge, but one that B&W has embraced. For more than 30 years, B&W has been innovating and acquiring new technologies that are now starting to see adoption. One of those just happens to be a hot topic worldwide: hydrogen production. Recently, B&W introduced its ClimateBright™ decarbonization technologies and one of them, BrightLoop, provides an exciting new way to produce hydrogen. CO₂ and H₂ are separated at the point of combustion (in situ), and both resources are isolated into their own “pipe” at a near-pure (97%) stream. Unlike post-combustion carbon capture, BrightLoop is in-combustion carbon streaming, requiring little CO₂ and H₂ post-production processing.

The first challenge for B&W was about proper positioning. They brought in Innis Maggiore to help them position the technology line and then eventually reposition B&W. This included a website makeover (babcock.com), development of the ClimateBright technology marketing materials and specific pitch materials for BrightLoop™.

This “third way” of producing hydrogen (versus electrolysis and steam methane reforming) will be in production by 2025. Having achieved a successful test plant implementation in partnership with a state university, BrightLoop is ready for production. BrightLoop allows producers to simultaneously accomplish low carbon initiatives and an energy transition. The flexibility of the system has amazing promise for the future of power/fuel production:

• Flexibility of Feedstock — Works with a vast array of feedstock (raw material), including natural gas, biomass, biogas, petroleum coke (petcoke), coal, methane, municipal solid waste for waste-to-energy (WtE) and syngas.
• Flexibility of Off-Take — Suitable for a wide range of applications, through the production of hydrogen; synthesis gas (syngas) for transportation; and other uses including steam for power, process or heating.
• Flexibility of Scale — Highly scalable to accommodate both large and small applications, while viable in a wide range of industrial processes, delivering a net-zero outcome.
• Flexibility of Carbon Utilization — The process inherently isolates carbon dioxide for storage/sequestration or for beneficial uses such as generating revenue, by isolating the CO₂ stream.
• Flexibility of Configuration — The system allows a modular deployment, from the feedstock to the scale to the offtake.

How do you reposition a 150-year old brand? By innovating with a net-negative emissions technology no one else thought was possible and bringing your legacy clients along with you.

Solar Sandy

A crusade to raise solar power to its potential

Solar Sandy started out of necessity, not a business idea. When Sandy’s daughter asked for help paying her out-of-control power bill, Sandy decided to look into the problem rather than remain hostage and powerless.

She found some ways to save energy and save some money, but nothing to get at the core of the problem. Until she discovered the power of solar energy and how to “own your power!” The problem was, dishonest companies were selling packages without any real knowledge or interest in solar. Solar Sandy had to discover what to find out, what to do, and how to do it — in essence inventing her brand position as a solar energy consultant for everyday homeowners. She even started a podcast before most people knew what that meant. For her, it was all about empowerment through learning and taking action.

She started her own crusade, one aimed at making solar power finally live up to its potential and bring regular people struggling with energy bills a reasonable, practical way out. Sandy continued to research solar panel types/tiers, panel configuration, and inverters, which led to a breakthrough from idea to action — creating a proprietary Kilowatt Worksheet and resulting configuration to provide sufficient power to her daughter’s home. The installation was so successful, her daughter's neighbors began to request Sandy consult on their homes as well. She became … Solar Sandy!

While Solar Sandy is not a solar company nor a solar panel manufacturer, her company helps thousands of homeowners own their power and even get rebates from the power companies through the intelligent use of tax credits, power company rebates, and more.

In a category that can be met with skepticism and doubt, Solar Sandy set out to change the perception of the solar panel industry by reinventing every aspect, through the website creation, messaging, and development help from leading energy marketing agency Innis Maggiore.

The audacious aim was to tell people to “own your power” by becoming energy independent. The bolder claim was to help homeowners eliminate their power bills or even — get this! — instead of sending checks to the power companies, her approach allows most of her customers receive rebates at the end of each year! Through a proprietary energy transition process, Solar Sandy makes it possible to return power to the grid and get paid for it.

This is a tremendous innovation because home energy usage is the #1 homeowner expense, so it’s big news (thanks to powerful PR) to turn it into a money-making asset. Solar Sandy shares what she has learned about the power of solar, with insights other solar salespeople miss; customizes a complete system for clients; recommends only the best Tier 1 solar panels such as premium Monocrystalline panels; proscribes the right solar invertor (central command) for a home’s custom solar energy system; and installs it all for optimum efficiency and performance.

Matching Solar Sandy’s energy for progress can sometimes be a challenge, but Innis Maggiore has worked with the company’s indefatigable leader to create a persuasive and prospect-grabbing web presence and deploy paid search and public relations efforts to spread the Solar Sandy story with effective energy company marketing.

We lead into her proprietary Kilowatt Worksheet with the provocative question, “My home is producing its own power. What’s yours doing?” We invite homeowners to experience energy independence — that can lead to getting checks back from the power company — and “Own Your Power” with a site structure carefully crafted to initiate action through the three-part process of a free quote, custom proposal, and bill monitoring.

Like Solar Sandy (when she was still known only as Sandy) and how she took action to take on the power cost crisis, AskSolarSandy.com is all about leading the visitor to take action in order to take control of their power.

Encino Energy

Grow a company without losing sight of what got you there

Encino Energy is one of the largest private oil and natural gas producers in the U.S. and a top 25 North American natural gas producer. Headquartered in Houston, its operations in the prolific Northern Utica Shale make Encino the largest oil producer in Ohio and the third-largest natural gas producer and driller in the state. But its greatest resource isn’t what it gets out of the ground, but what it gets out of relationships.

Encino Energy is a leader. The number one oil producer in Ohio is a privately held company, backed by the $570 billion in CPP investments, that’s based in Texas yet holds the largest acreage position in Ohio and core operations across the Utica Shale. Most significantly, the company recognizes its current landowners and employees as main reasons for its success.

Encino Energy management knows that paying attention to those who made them what they are is essential to successful future growth. A company that never forgets about current customers and its own team can never go wrong, because a company can only build on what’s already strong.

Beyond day-to-day operations, this is a company dedicated to values. Their mission is to create and maximize value for all stakeholders — investors, employees, and partners — through a culture that fosters ownership, innovation, excellence, diversity, and achieving outstanding results as a team. A strategy focused on “a disciplined approach led by top-tier people” guides everything the company does.

Encino Energy has identified their foundational values as Innovation, Ownership, Results, Sustainability, and Transparency. Innis Maggiore collaborates with the client to translate its mission, strategy, and values into tangible programs that demonstrate and dramatize what matters most to the company and its deep commitment to its people and full investment in the communities they all home.

What’s the big deal? We’d be hard-pressed to find a company that dedicates so much to meaningful connections with its customers (landowners) and employees (teammates). Encino doesn’t talk about it; they do it. Always looking for new ways or improved ways to communicate in order to keep landowners updated on what Encino has been doing, or deepening relationships amongst teammates by giving them ways to salute one another.

Innis Maggiore has been Encino’s energy company marketing agency of choice for several years. We named and created graphics and tactics for internal programs such as “Get in the Game” and “Make it Happen,” along with icons that represent each of its values that you’ll see on everything they do. We’ve also worked with the client to create a quarterly landowner e-newsletter, a colorful and welcoming PDF and email format, as well as an annual sustainability report that keeps the company accountable relative to its stated goals.

One of the most interesting — and gratifying — examples of the Encino Energy/Innis Maggiore partnership was the inception of a recognition + rewards program that brought everybody into the process and made thanking each other fast, easy, and fun. Based on the premise, “from acorns grow giant oaks,” the program invites employees to “drop Acorns” as gestures of appreciation.

In a video produced by Innis Maggiore to introduce the initiative, the company’s CEO, Hardy Murchison, explained that “any moment can turn into an Acorn celebration.” Anyone at any level in any department could drop a social Acorn of appreciation or share points-based Acorns to anyone else from those allocated every month to celebrate teammates. Those bestowed can be boosted by others, while accumulated Acorns can be cashed in for gift cards, merch, and experiences.

Admiring both the commitment and the concept, Innis Maggiore created everything from the logo and its program tree to signage, appreciation notes, magnets, and redeemable merchandise.

While Encino Energy teammates continue to honor one another with Acorns, Innis Maggiore is honored to partner with our client for a first — an aggressive landowner acquisition initiative aimed to leverage its strong relationship with current landowners to persuade those considering mineral leasing to choose the most trusted oil and gas developer in Ohio.

Guided by the foundational values mentioned earlier, Innis Maggiore and Encino will remain careful and disciplined while pursuing this effort (made necessary by the increasing encroachment of less-solid competitors) in a manner that’s dignified, inviting, and open. Elements include TV featuring local landowner testimonials, direct marketing, email, digital ads, and social media that focuses on the company’s commitment to community involvement and activities.

Marathon Petroleum

Strategic messaging key to building positive goodwill around complicated wastewater project

When Marathon Petroleum’s refinery planned to move its treated wastewater outfall from a small stream near its property to a larger waterway, it had a good reason. The waterway simply was more acceptable as the discharge point for the treated wastewater. The problem was a perception of environmental risk perpetrated by what could be seen as a large, corporate energy giant.

Part 1: Wastewater Treatment Upgrade (Marathon Petroleum)

Marathon was committed to constructing a multimillion-dollar waterline to move the discharge. The problem was that the new waterline would pass through more than 30 parcels of private property. The main concern was about public opinion and its attendant controversy. In a time of increasing environmental concerns and skepticism about corporate actions, the company expected substantial citizen opposition. Even though the treated water exceeded EPA guidelines, the client knew public skepticism could nevertheless develop, threatening the project timetable and perhaps the entire project.

The main goal was to shape perception by recasting the story from one about potential environmental problems to one about investing in economic growth. Instead of the perceived negative — the big energy corporation ruining the environment and pushing its weight around to build a huge waterline through homeowners’ properties — the campaign shined a light on the POSITIVE: the area’s main energy employer investing in the local economy by expanding operations in an environmentally sound manner to create more jobs.

Innis Maggiore moved beyond the typical energy company marketing approach by recommending that Marathon be proactive, pre-emptive, and transparent in communicating its plans and the numerous benefits associated with the project. Work began with an intensive session involving the agency’s strategists and many of the corporation’s managers with the goal to gain total understanding of all the complex technical issues and benefits surrounding the project.

The agency then developed lists of contacts in various constituencies — local, county, and state elected officials, appointed leaders, and regulators, neighbors, business leaders, and news media. The agency’s PR team researched the identified individuals to learn their backgrounds, positions on relative issues, and note each as potential ally or adversary.

The resulting overall strategy was two-pronged: 1) To proactively communicate the key message about reinvestment and its impact on jobs face-to-face in small group meetings to make the communications as personal in nature as possible (counter to the standard view of “big energy” as cold, impersonal and inaccessible); and 2) To engage the news media to report the story at this early stage, acting as a pre-emptive move and out in front of rumors and misinformation (to lead the messaging before false perceptions could take root).

Given the sensitive nature of the situation, particularly the way environmental concerns could derail or seriously delay this crucial project, the results could not have been more beneficial. The message was managed, as the focus became the reinvestment/jobs story rather than an environmental one.

Cooperation from public officials and regulatory agencies was gained, while the media coverage was extremely positive. Through our efforts, the media picked up the story, not as a controversial environmental impact story, but a good news economic development story.

Part 2: The Cornerstone Pipeline (MPLX)

Following the successful wastewater outfall and refinery investment PR effort, MPLX engaged the agency for two media tours focused on the construction of the Cornerstone Pipeline. This required a two-part, cross-state effort to reach media all along the path of the pipeline. The PR effort was managed almost exclusively by the agency, with media stops all along the cross-state pipeline. Individual interviews (newspaper, TV, radio, online influencers) were conducted with MPLX personnel, but the media communications were directed by the agency’s resident energy experts.

The headlines the agency secured promoted the company’s commitment to invest $50 million in an expansion project benefiting the economy of Northeast Ohio. Most importantly, no public opposition arose, allowing the project to remain on schedule as landowner easements were secured.

Like the wastewater outfall and refinery investment project, the Cornerstone Pipeline campaign was hailed an incredible success.

Advanced Power

Aligning business and community goals through communication strategy

Constructing a massive natural gas electric generation facility in a community is a frightful thought. For rural Ohioans cynical about big energy corporations, winning support was not going to be easy. So Advanced Power partnered with Innis Maggiore to gain support within the Carroll County region and the small town of Wellsville, Ohio. The primary message was one of environmental stewardship as the core of Carroll County and South Field Energy Plants.

“Advancing lower carbon energy” is more than a tagline Innis Maggiore developed for Advanced Power. It’s a mission that Advanced Power has adopted and inserted into its values, operations and projects.

While winning support from the community and its leaders was critical, Advanced Power also knew permitting was going to be critical to the success of the plant implementations. Resistance in Europe and elsewhere in the U.S. had been surprisingly challenging despite a more welcoming environment for the adoption of clean energy, so when both plants got through permitting and community approval faster than any previous project, the team at Advanced Power was thrilled.

The agency believes that the secret sauce was proactive and pre-emptive media outreach well before rumors about the proposed facilities could percolate, along with personal attention directed toward the individual residents who live in the Appalachian region of Ohio.

A cookout was held so Advanced Power representatives could meet and answer questions from the residents. The agency assisted in messaging and coaching for community events showing Advanced Power’s commitment to the community. And in the end, the communities of Carrollton and Wellsville received direct investments from Carroll County Energy and South Field Energy that provided for brand new school buildings, funding of sports, arts and clubs. What’s more, local businesses benefited from the investment in the region. There are very few, if any, residents of Carroll and Columbiana counties who have not benefitted from these two electric generation facilities.

From announcing plans for both facilities to the securing of equity to completion of each plant, Innis Maggiore supported Advanced Power and spearheaded its communication to the local communities’ residents, elected officials, regulators and news media. All details of each community or media event, from identifying influencers, extending invitations, organizing each event/location, prioritizing topics, and coordinating Advanced Power speakers, were arranged by the agency.

Innis Maggiore, for each of the respective energy plants, created the communications plans and developed the marketing and PR assets of initial plant illustrations/diagrams, presentations, news releases and event/media collateral. Each plant has its own website (carrollcountyenergy.com and southfieldenergy.com) and the content distributed online and through the website was created and managed by the agency. After both plants were brought online and the communication campaigns ended, Advanced Power awarded Innis Maggiore the privilege to build its main website at advancedpower.ch.

Chesapeake Energy

Changing impressions over breakfast

Not only does the word “fracking” inherently sound bad, but an entire campaign had already been unleashed speaking to the supposed evils of hydraulic fracturing. How would landowners, influencers and an entire region react to this perceived “evil” drilling practice? This wasn’t about the realities of fracking, and the benefits it would bring to the region, but overcoming the perception that had been created before the facts were ever presented.

Chesapeake Energy had a big problem. They were ready to acquire land and negotiate deals with landowners and municipalities in the Utica Shale region. At the time, a controversial documentary entitled “Gasland” was gaining wide viewership. In the video, the producers showed a home where the water from a faucet was lit on fire due to methane supposedly leaching from a well site. The problem? That video segment was discredited two years before “Gasland” was produced. Three years following, “Gasland II” came out and another concocted video featured a homeowner with the water from his garden hose lit on fire. He later admitted that he had hooked up his hose to a gas line. While both videos were discredited, the first impression had been made: fracking was evil.

Known as a leading energy company marketing agency, Chesapeake approached Innis Maggiore to help educate the Utica Shale region on the process of — and benefits from — hydraulic fracturing. The goal was to gain community support to allow open dialog about the risks and benefits without having to spend considerable time in many individual discussions correcting false perceptions and beliefs about fracking. Thus was birthed the big idea of “Breakfast with Chesapeake.” Each week, Innis Maggiore invited 8 to 10 community leaders for Chesapeake’s team to present and educate on the process of hydraulic fracturing, how deals would be structured and the benefits to the region. All details of the breakfasts, such as identifying influencers, extending invitations, organizing each event/location, prioritizing topics, creating visuals, and coaching Chesapeake speakers, were handled by the agency.

Additionally, the content of these breakfasts was expanded to libraries and community centers for local homeowners to come and receive the same information. Innis Maggiore arranged for local media interviews and distributed news releases and fact sheets.

Out of this, several partnerships were created, such as with the local district libraries, where information was placed for on-demand availability to the public and where “open houses” were held to educate the public.

Since hundreds of millions of dollars were dispersed to local organizations, Innis Maggiore also supported several organizations to communicate to the public how the monies would be used to the benefit of their audiences, from homeowners to disadvantaged/ marginalized communities. For example, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District not only improved the regional infrastructure with this revenue, it also was able to do so by decreasing the property taxes of the municipalities in the region. In fact, the district had received over $200 million from fracking activity. Innis Maggiore assisted MWCD to manage public perceptions. Here’s a quote from its annual report:

It’s an exciting time for the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District … We are in a position where we can partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in properly maintaining the 83-year-old flood control system which has been so important to the survival of many communities in the District. In addition, the new-found revenue generated from Utica gas leasing opportunities now affords the district the opportunity to modernize our public parks, campgrounds, and marinas to a level that our customers want and deserve. … As responsible stewards we foresee the future of MWCD on solid ground for the next 80 years.

Another byproduct of the agency’s work with Chesapeake resulted in a new brand for the City of Canton. After multiple meetings and public forums with regional political leaders, namely the mayor of Canton, a state representative and several council members, the agency positioned the City of Canton as the Utica Capital®. Mayor William Healy, who announced the new title during his state of the city speech, remarked about the agency’s work, “While much of what has happened to the city of Canton is simply the providence of our natural resources, what Innis Maggiore has done in educating our community and merchandising our resources has been nothing short of remarkable. We owe a huge debt of gratitude for their skillful command of managing perceptions.”

The broad reach of this campaign impacted the region at every level. While the concept of environmental justice was nascent, Innis Maggiore communicated to disadvantaged and marginalized audiences the benefits that fracking would bring to them, and more importantly, shared feedback with Chesapeake Energy garnered from these public sessions. Concerns about light and sound pollution at fracking sites, damaged construction roads, and air pollution were all brought to the attention of Chesapeake management. In most instances, these issues were addressed to the satisfaction of the impacted communities. Additionally, because of the increased labor requirements created by the industry, job training (and retraining) was started at Stark State College. The oil and gas studies program still thrives today, in some cases providing tuition-free education to disadvantaged community members.

The goals of the work for which the agency was engaged by Chesapeake were achieved and exceeded. While Chesapeake Energy had their management issues and the promised outcomes fell short, the effort conducted by the agency in the Utica Shale region was hailed as a major success.

United Initiators

Creating global demand for a hyper specialist in an unknown category

United Initiators creates customized organic peroxides and inorganic persulfate initiators. These initiators and other cross-linking agents are predominantly supplied to the solar panel manufacturing market. Innis Maggiore was tasked with generating online sales leads. Our approach leveraged what we call Web/PR 2.0.

We first built a five-page microsite that was rich with SEO-sculpted content. Then, we put together four news releases and four paid search campaigns paired to the keyphrases used on the microsite. Over the next three months, the site achieved 1st rank on Google for more than 20 keyphrases, appeared in more than 150 online publications, and saw more than 2,500 unique visitors. Within seven weeks, the client had heard from every single solar panel manufacturer in the world.

The Fuel Cell Corridor

The campaign that brought industry to Ohio

Innis Maggiore launched a campaign to brand the state of Ohio as a leading candidate for fuel cell development, commercialization, and use. Innis Maggiore helped the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition create a three-pronged strategy to position Ohio as the Silicon Valley of the East. In the first part, we branded the region as the “Fuel Cell Corridor,” giving Ohio authority as an existing leader in the marketplace.

The second portion was called the “Go2Ohio” campaign, which attracted fuel cell developers both directly and indirectly to work in the state. The “Go2Ohio” campaign was so popular that it garnered publicity from Fuel Cell Today and its web portal was even awarded “the most eye-catching feature” at the Fuel Cell Seminar in Hawaii.

The final phase of our strategy involved a multi-level campaign for fuel cell groups such Wright Fuel Cell Group and SOFCo-EFS. The outcome of Innis Maggiore’s campaign? Billions of dollars in economic growth for the state of Ohio.

Campbell Oil Company & BellStores

Refined and rewarded, from the tankard to the pump

For nearly a quarter of a century (or half the number of years Innis Maggiore has been around), Campbell Oil Company has relied on us as their agency of record and trusted energy company marketing partner. One side of the business is delivering and selling Marathon’s refined gasoline direct to consumers in their 75 convenience stores. The complementary side of the business is the most visible, a formidable regional chain of c-stores exhibiting strong growth.

That growth transcends mere numbers, with an ongoing expansion of services, such as its new rewards programs, and products — from a proprietary Bell’s Bistro brand of prepared foods to bean-to-cup fresh ground coffee. Innis Maggiore helped position BellStores as the family-friendly convenience store alternative, as represented by the tagline, “Keep the family on full._TM” One of the more recent manifestations of keeping the family on full is Bell Buddy Rewards^®, named after the Bell the Dog mascot we use in all marketing for the company. You’ll see Bell on billboards, delivery and repair trucks and vans, store POS, and even the rewards card itself. Families get a break on gas prices by saving at the pump whether they make a purchase at the pump or inside BellStores.

Santmyer Oil Co.

Family-owned energy company gets a brand facelift

Santmyer is a family-owned energy company with more than 60 years of delivering on-demand fuel to homes and businesses. But Santmyer faced a brand confusion problem: the brand portfolio had become convoluted, with even minor services having their own logo and being given the same weight as the parent brand.

As with every client, Innis Maggiore began by crafting a positioning strategy. In this case, we positioned Santmyer as “a family of companies dedicated to on-demand fuels since 1952” — a move that leveraged both the brand's heritage and specialty. Next, Innis Maggiore created a new brand identity for Santmyer, bringing conformity to all other brand names and logos. The result is a much clearer brand structure that sets Santmyer up for the next 60 years of success.