SITUATION
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) created a website designed to be a forum of green information under the name Our Green Community. SMUD had been revamping the site in preparation for reintroducing it to the community and needed an eye-catching advertising campaign to re-launch the site with a splash.  SMUD hired Barcellona to ensure that the campaign would be appealing to its target audience and convey that Our Green Community was the pre-eminent place to gather information on preserving the environment and sharing experiences and questions with other community members. The site was meant to be “for the community, by the community” and the advertising called for a creative look that was drastically different from SMUD’s normal approach.

SOLUTION
Barcellona designed a vibrant and timely campaign that appealed to both older generations and younger, text-friendly generations. The layered campaign featured community oriented radio spots, signs on natural gas powered buses, bus shelter signs, print ads and online banner ads.  The art itself was reminiscent of a nostalgic era that baby boomers could relate to, while the text speak copy reminded viewers that OGC (Our Green Community) is at the fore-front of technology and the environmental concerns of today’s world.

RESULTS
The OGC campaign enjoyed a six week launch, capturing more than 10,000 unique visitors. Within the first three months, average monthly site visits increased 263% increase. The average time spent on the site increased by 12% from pre-flight through the advertising campaign. Direct and referring site traffic totals increased by more than 12.5%, demonstrating an increase in name recognition and recall from site visitors.  The numbers show that Barcellona helped SMUD to successfully capture its audience and engage them in an environmentally conscious exchange.