LP Gas, October 2018

opening delivery BRIAN RICHESSON EDITOR IN CHIEF A Missouri welcome NEW STATE MARKETING CAMPAIGN SHOWCASES THE BENEFITS OF A PROPANE LIFESTYLE S teve Ahrens makes a case for rolling out a state level propane marketing campaign The president of the Missouri Propane Gas Association and the Missouri Propane Education Research Council MOPERC has presided over a project touting propanes benefits in the residential market The market is ripe with opportunities for propane Ahrens says at a time when energy competitors are working against us every day As the national PERC campaign is still maybe finding its legs we didnt want to have nothing out there he says We did not want to be dark The national PERC has been in transition mode on a new consumer marketing campaign as it moves away from Blue the Dog a two year effort that sought to improve consumer perceptions of propane It last saw the national airwaves in the spring of 2017 PERC has stressed patience on a new multimilliondollar integrated marketing communications program that includes a homeowner outreach component That program designed as digitally dominant and regionally based is supposed to launch in 2019 Meanwhile in Missouri Ahrens and MOPERC began talking this past spring about what a new state program would look like What resulted was a 150000 campaign designed to educate consumers about the benefits of a propane lifestyle through an aspirational approach We know as an industry that propane can do so many things in the home Ahrens says We tend to forget that our customers are familiar with propane for the barbecue but not so much for home heat fireplaces and the rest We wanted to highlight all of the different uses That whole home focus is brought to life in a new glossy magazine called Welcome Home which Ahrens labels the centerpiece of the campaign MOPERC engaged a communications partner Callis Integrated Marketing to research write and produce the magazine The 20 page publication shows the stunning front portion of a large home on the cover Colorful photos dominate the inside pages to underscore trendy new home features and upgrades Nuggets of information provide readers with the latest on building trends and consumer preferences For example did you know that Craftsman style homes have replaced the traditional ranch as the preferred architectural style Or that demand for outdoor living spaces in new home plans has risen over six straight years The role that propane can play in these design and homebuilding features is shared subtly on many of the pages But propane gets its due on two specific spreads one outlining how a complete propane home works another breaking down the many residential applications and benefits of propane Its kind of a Pinterest approach Ahrens says about the magazine If someone builds or remodels a home they may be trying to find elements or remember to incorporate a feature into their next project The impact of that magazine is a collection of ideas and propane is one of those ideas Ahrens stocked his 300 propane marketer member locations each with 100 copies of the magazine Hes asking marketers to disseminate copies to anyone looking to build or remodel a home He also mailed copies to every homebuilder and HVAC installer in the state The goal is to build awareness of a propane lifestyle that ultimately turns into sales The magazine is one part of an integrated marketing campaign that includes social media radio and print advertising Much of the magazine content is repurposed for these marketing options as well as for MOPERCs consumer facing website propanemissouri com MOPERC is also partnering with a homebuilder on a charity project Dave Leathers the builder sells a home at Lake of the Ozarks each year with the profits going to charity He agreed to work with MOPERC on building an allpropane home Follow the progress at lakeoftheozarkspropanehome com LPG brichesson@ northcoastmedia net 4 LPGas October 2018 LPGasmagazine com PHOTO COURTESY OF CALLIS INTEGRATED MARKETING ISTOCK COM TTTUNA