You were wrong Kermit. It is easy being green when you team with James Halliday Events - as Philips Lighting found out when they asked us to join them in a project that was part of a NSW Government scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We created a program that was a commercial, environmental and educational success - and that probably had competitors going green too - with envy.
THE CHALLENGE
We needed to deliver a unique program that would position Philips Lighting as a leader in sustainable energy, improve community understanding around climate change, and promote greater use of more energy efficient products - including distributing sample packs of low energy light bulbs. And we needed to do it all within a three-month deadline. Several competitors were already targeting consumers through shopping centres. We needed a smarter, different approach to set Philips apart from the crowd.
OUR SOLUTION
What better place to deliver an educational message and reach large numbers of families quickly than through schools? We created a program that offered NSW primary schools free education resources, and offered school families free trial packs of Philips low energy light bulbs.
Working with cartoonists and educational copywriter, we developed inspirational, educational materials for schools including posters, stickers, worksheets, teacher notes and a simple-to-understand, entertaining computer-based presentation that made a complex topic accessible and relevant to 6-to-12 year olds. We sourced, trained and scheduled a team of teachers to present the program in schools.
With hundreds of schools and thousands of students, the logistics would be enormous, but we knew we had to make it as simple as possible for schools to participate. We developed and distributed all the direct marketing materials - from the initial approach to principals, to the letters that would go to parents. We tracked all requests for sample packs, ensured the correct number reached each school, and made it easy for the school to distribute them to each family.
THE RESULT
The program has been an environmental success, an educational success for school communities and a financial success for Philips Lighting. Within the tight three-month timeframe, we developed the concept, created the program and took it to thousands of schoolchildren and their families.
We delivered more than 23,000 low energy packs to families through NSW schools - a saving of over 82,800 tonnes of green house gas emissions for the environment. The success of the program in major metropolitan areas saw it quickly rolled out to the entire state.
“James Halliday Events is more than an events company, they are our partners in business. Together we have developed and implemented a first rate educational program that has travelled around the NSW primary school system to rave reviews by students, parents and teachers alike. The impact of this program has delivered substantial brand recognition and sales opportunities for Philips.”
Michael Downie, General Manager