AGENDA
ORANGE COUNTY POWER AUTHORITY
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
COMMITTEE
Thursday, May 29, 2025
2:30 p.m.
This meeting will proceed as an in-person meeting at 15310 Barranca Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92618. In addition, as a convenience to the public, the Orange County Power Authority is also providing an option for members of the public to remotely view and participate in the meeting.
Further details are below. Please note that, in the event of a technical issue causing a disruption in the remote participation option, the meeting may continue unless otherwise required by law.
Note: Any member of the public may provide comments to the Committee on any agenda items only by requesting to speak during Item 4. When providing comments to the Committee, it is requested that you provide your name and city of residence for the record. Commenters are requested to address their comments to the Committee as a whole through the Chair. Comments may be provided in the following manner:
To provide comments during the meeting, in-person attendees, please fill out the public speaker slip and provide it to the clerk at the beginning of the meeting. Before Item 4, the Chair or Clerk will ask members of the public to join the queue to provide public comment. The queue will remain open for a reasonable amount of time to allow members of the public sufficient time to request to speak and inform the Committee of the number of speakers. After such time, the queue will be closed and the members of the public who have joined the queue to speak will be recognized at the appropriate time may speak. To join the queue on Zoom video conference by computer or mobile phone, use the “Raise Hand” feature. If joining the meeting using the Zoom dial-in number, you can raise your hand and join the queue by pressing *9. Members of the public will not be shown on video but will be able to speak when called upon.
Comments shall generally be limited to three minutes when speaking, provided that the Chair may equally reduce each speaker’s time to accommodate a large number of speakers or a large number of agenda items. If you have anything that you wish to be distributed to the Committee, please provide it via [email protected], who will distribute the information to the Members.
The public may participate using the following remote options:
ZOOM WEBINAR
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Launch Meeting - Zoom
Dial-in: 1-669-900-6833
Webinar ID: 892 1872 8568
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. ROLL CALL
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS
Opportunity for members of the public to address the Committee on any items on the agenda.
5. COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Committee Members may briefly provide information to other members of the Committee and the public, ask questions of staff, or report on conferences, events, or activities related to Authority business. There is to be no discussion or action taken on comments made by Committee Members unless authorized by law.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR
The following items call for discussion or action by the Committee. The Committee may discuss and/or take action on any item listed below if the Committee is so inclined.
1. MINUTES FOR THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
COMMITTEE MEETING OF MARCH 3, 2025
Recommended Action:
Approve as submitted.
7. REGULAR CALENDAR
The following items call for discussion or action by the Committee. The Committee may discuss and/or take action on any item listed below if the Committee is so inclined.
1. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF SECOND AMENDMENT TO
MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND DESIGN SERVICES
CONTRACT
Recommended Action:
1. Review marketing and communications results for FY24/25, and review and discuss outline for FY25/26 marketing and public outreach.
2. Recommend that the Board of Directors authorize the CEO to execute an amendment to the agreement with Reveille, Inc. for communications, marketing, strategy, public engagement, digital, and graphic design services, effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, and increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $1,000,000, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $3,999,686.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
OCPA meetings comply with the protections and prohibitions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Individuals with a disability who require a modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, in order to participate in the public meeting may contact 949-263-2612. Requests for disability-related modifications or accommodations require different lead times and should be provided at least 72-hours in advance of the public meeting.
Availability of Documents
Copies of the agenda and agenda packet are available at www.ocpower.org. Late-arriving documents related to a Committee meeting item which are distributed to a majority of the Committee prior to or during the Committee meeting are available for public review as required by law. Public records, including agenda-related documents, can be requested electronically at [email protected] or by mail to 15642 Sand Canyon Avenue, P.O. Box 54283, Irvine, CA 92619-4283. The documents may also be posted at the above website.
Such public records are also available for inspection, by appointment, at 15310 Barranca Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92618. Please contact [email protected] to arrange an appointment.
MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
ORANGE COUNTY POWER AUTHORITY
Monday, March 3, 2025
OCPA Marketing & Communications Regular Meeting of March 3, 2025 Page 1
1. CALL TO ORDER
Director Grandis called to order the Regular Meeting of the Marketing and Communications Committee at 4:34 p.m. on Monday, March 3, 2025.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Director Go led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL
Present: Director Glenn Grandis City of Fountain Valley Director William Go City of Irvine
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS
None
5. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
None
6. COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
None
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Moved by Director Go and seconded by Director Grandis to approve the Consent Calendar.
The motion carried unanimously by the following vote:
Ayes: Director Grandis, Director Go
Noes: None
Absent: None
1. MINUTES FOR THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
COMMITTEE MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
Action Taken:
Approved as submitted.
8. REGULAR CALENDAR
1. ADOPT 2025 CALENDAR
Board Clerk Jacquez-Nares presented this item.
Moved by Director Grandis and seconded by Director Go to:
Adopt the 2025 meeting calendar and set the meetings for 4:30 p.m. on June 2, September 22, and December 1.
The motion carried unanimously by the following vote:
Ayes: Director Grandis, Director Go
Noes: None
Absent: None
2. MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE FOR JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025 Director of Communications and External Affairs Henderson provided a summary of the presentation for this item
Director Go asked how the Directors could participate in the ads and approve the commercials before completion. He would also like to work with OCPA staff on community engagement events in Irvine. He asked if OCPA advertised at the train station and nextdoor.
Director Grandis suggested that OCPA staff review the City of Fountain Valley community calendar on their city’s website because all the nonprofits share their events in that calendar.
Action Taken:
Received and filed.
9. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Committee, Director Grandis adjourned the meeting at 5:11 p.m.
Submitted by:
Pat Jacquez-Nares, Board Authority Secretary
ORANGE COUNTY POWER AUTHORITY
Staff Report – Item 7.1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Orange County Power Authority Marketing and Communications Committee From: Jacquie Henderson, Director of Communications and External Affairs Approved By: Joe Mosca, Chief Executive Officer
Subject: REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF SECOND AMENDMENT TO
MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND DESIGN SERVICES CONTRACT Date: May 29, 2025
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Review marketing and communications results for FY24/25, and review and discuss outline for FY25/26 marketing and public outreach.
2. Recommend that the Board of Directors authorize the CEO to execute an amendment to the agreement with Reveille, Inc. for communications, marketing, strategy, public engagement, digital, and graphic design services, effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, and increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $1,000,000, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $3,999,686.
BACKGROUND
The Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) has engaged Reveille, Inc. for marketing, communications, strategy, public engagement, and digital and graphic design services. This engagement is part of OCPA's broader efforts to enhance program awareness, engage with customers, and promote its renewable energy offerings. The following summary provides an overview of the key aspects of the agreement and its amendment, including the parties involved, the scope of services, and the rationale behind the contract.
The marketing and communications engagement originates from a Request for Proposals (RFP) which was released on March 7, 2023. The goal was to develop and maintain a multi-faceted plan for building program awareness and engaging customers. Three firms responded to the RFP:
Reveille, WeTheCreative, and Wicked Bionic. Proposals were evaluated based on experience, staff qualifications, approach to working with OCPA, expertise in multilingual and multicultural communications, and compliance with OCPA's professional services agreement.
Reveille, Inc. emerged as the top scorer with an average score of 4.13 out of 5, followed by Wicked Bionic and WeTheCreative. The OCPA Board of Directors (Board) approved a short-term, six-month contract with Reveille for an amount not to exceed $750,000.
On May 17, 2023, the Board discussed potential alternatives to the staff's recommendation, including awarding the contract to Wicked Bionic. Ultimately, the Board approved the short-term contract with Reveille and authorized the CEO to finalize and execute the agreement.
On July 19, 2023, the Board continued discussions on the marketing and communications contract, considering options for extending the contract with Reveille, holding open the prior RFP for future award decisions, or issuing a new RFP for services starting January 1, 2024.
The original Professional Services Agreement was contracted to provide a comprehensive suite of services aimed at building program awareness, engaging OCPA's residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and supporting the program's website and design needs. Specific tasks included agency branding, web design, community outreach, marketing campaigns, media relations, and project management. The initial term of the agreement was set from July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, with options to extend for three additional one-year terms. The total not-to-exceed for the services was $750,000.
On September 25, 2023, the Board approved the First Amendment, extended the term of the agreement, and increased the not-to-exceed amount. The initial term was extended through June 30, 2025. To accommodate the extended term and additional services, the not-to-exceed amount was increased to $2,999,686.
ANALYSIS
The engagement of Reveille, Inc. is a strategic move by OCPA to enhance its marketing and communications efforts, build brand awareness, and foster long-term community engagement. The amendment to the agreement that extends Reveille’s support of OCPA reflects the confidence OCPA has in the organization’s work and ensures that Reveille can continue to provide high-quality services through June 2026. The Board's ongoing discussions and decisions will inform the future direction of OCPA's marketing and communications strategy.
Reveille has experience with adjusting communications to meet the specific needs of OCPA, which is a desired quality for the coming year as OCPA looks to deepen brand education and program engagement in member cities. To date, OCPA has taken the approach of wide brand awareness to help the organization progress and move past early challenges. This approach has been successful in turning the page and creating more robust communications streams, enhancing positive visibility. However, member city customers continue to lack understanding about the benefits of having OCPA as their energy provider. The goal for FY25/26 is to hyperfocus on member cities and key prospective cities to become the trusted source for energy knowledge, tips, and programs that save customers time and money while supporting the renewable energy transition. This is framed progressing from a brand awareness focus to a brand education focus.
Over the past two years, Reveille has supported OCPA by developing OCPA’s brand look and feel and designing a multiplatform communications profile that has improved with time.
Highlights of Reveille’s support over the past year include:
• Increasing favorability among customers by 9%, shifting perception of over 15,000 customers
• Achieving 93% positive or neutral media coverage
• Overachieving the target of 75M impressions by 150% to achieve 112M impressions • Creating 36 videos that have earned 1,853,838 views
• Sending six digital newsletters to 4,693 subscribers, all of which have above industry average open rates
• Publishing 16 blog posts that earned OCPA recognition as a Top Orange County Blog by FeedSpot
• Accelerating multicultural outreach and support through publication and community organization partnerships
Approval of the Second Amendment will provide support for:
1. Research shifted specifically to measure year-over-year movement in public awareness and favorability in member cities, and to test messaging.
2. Community Education Events including past successful efforts like community event sponsorships, and new efforts like a Leadership Academy educational opportunity for local and state elected officials, a Community Academy educational program for current and future customers, and partnerships with trusted service providers to promote low-income programs.
3. Multicultural Outreach, specifically deepening connections in hard-to-reach areas of member cities, including spaces where English is the second language.
4. Media Relations to include an editorial calendar of proactive media pitches and deskside briefings, and increased bylined content from senior staff and Board members in trade publications.
5. Paid Media shifting from board promotion on digital billboards and connected TV to hyperlocal bus shelters, HOA newsletters, City publications, and newspapers/magazines.
6. Video Production focused on education such as “How to Read Your NEM bill” and “What is Energy Efficiency”, as well as videos specific to the City of Fountain Valley’s 2026 launch.
7. Website additions including educator resources aligned with state curriculum standards.
8. Internal Communications alignment with a messaging toolkit so that all team members are sharing the same information externally.
FISCAL IMPACT
The approved not-to-exceed (NTE) amount of $2,999,686 for the First Amendment term (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2025) was included in the adopted FY2024/2025 budget. The proposed additional $1,000,000 NTE for the Second Amendment will be incorporated into the proposed FY2025/2026 budget, pending board approval in June 2025. This brings the total NTE balance to $3,999,686.
ATTACHMENTS
None