SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY POWER
Staff Report – Item 17
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: San Diego Community Power Board of Directors
From: Jen Lebron, Director of Public Affairs
Via: Karin Burns, Chief Executive Officer
Subject: Residential enrollment in National City and the unincorporated areas of San Diego County
Date: February 23, 2023
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file update on Residential Enrollment in National City and the unincorporated areas of San Diego County.
BACKGROUND
San Diego Community Power (SDCP) has engaged in a variety of public relations, marketing, and community outreach activities to drive awareness, spark engagement, and minimize opt-out as it prepares to enroll customers in National City and the unincorporated areas of San Diego County on April 1.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
SDCP is in regular communication with regional media in the spirit of transparency and openness for Phase 4 Enrollment for the unincorporated areas of San Diego County and National City.
SDCP and Civilian, its marketing and communications contractor, are working together to develop a high-impact campaign that will include multiple mailers sent directly to customers, targeted marketing in local publications, advertising on billboards in high-traffic areas and sending members of staff to outreach events.
We have developed and updated our communications and outreach strategies for the onboarding of new board members, as well as updated our pre- & post-enrollment notices for clarity and talking points for our customer care agents regarding rates.
The first set of enrollment mailers was sent to future customers beginning on Feb. 1. A total of four mailers will be sent to each customer as a part of the enrollment activities.
Trusted messengers are key to connecting with audiences. Two of our Community Advisory Committee members, Vice Chair Aida Casteneda from National City and Dr.
Peter Anderson from the East County area are writing op-eds in support of SDCP in local publications, The Star News, El Latino and The East County Californian.
SDCP is also planning to increase its focus on earned media in the coming weeks. CEO Karin Burns has already participated on a KUSI live feature to let future customers know more about SDCP and is scheduled to return to the television station in late March and early April. Other live television news segments are being scheduled at every local news television station. Outreach is also being done to ensure SDCP’s enrollment is covered by radio, print and online media outlets as well.
Paid media efforts will be key to reaching audiences that may not be tuning into local news. SDCP and Civilian have created a multifaced campaign that provides fair and equitable coverage across each region by analyzing population sizes and allocating budgets accordingly. There has been special attention given to Spanish-, Filipino- and Arabic-speaking audiences as the enrollment areas have significant portions of their populations that do not speak English.
Starting on March 13, billboards will appear in high-traffic areas near National City, as well as the northern and southern regions of the county that will stay up through early June. These billboards will help inform new customers that SDCP will be serving them soon as well as increase the general brand awareness for the organization.
SDCP will be prioritizing the use of Facebook and Instagram for its social media outreach based on the performance of Phase 3 enrollment media campaigns as well as data that show high numbers of target audience participation on both sites. Data supports that social media outreach on Facebook and Instagram has a high impact at a low cost compared to other sites such as Nextdoor or Twitter.
Other paid media efforts will include ads in the local newspapers such as the Filipino Press and Asian Business Journal, radio spots on KPBS public radio and Univision radio, posters placed in convenience stores, door hangers, strategically-placed digital bulletins, and geo-fenced banner ads that will appear on a variety of websites.
These strategies will help SDCP accomplish its goal to create awareness around enrollment and strengthen our brand. The activities outlined here complement the outreach SDCP does year-round to reach our customers wherever they may be and build support for our mission to provide clean, renewable electricity at competitive prices for San Diegans.
COMMITTEE REVIEW
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT
$288,438
ATTACHMENTS
N/A