VI. Statewide Marketing and Outreach Programs

A. Selected Programs and Funding Levels

Marketing and outreach programs not only provide the critical link between program funding and customer participation, but also serve as a key link between government, the utilities, and the massive potential for energy efficiency in the private sector. D.01-11-066 emphasized that marketing information should propose to consumers ways to reduce consumption permanently using messages that are consistent statewide. D.03-08-067 stated our intent to continue funding marketing and outreach programs. McGuire and Company (Efficiency Partnership).⁶ Univision Television Group and Staples/Hutchison Associates (Univision), and Runyon Saltzman & Einhorn (RS&E) submitted marketing and outreach proposals. Efficiency Partnership, Univision and RS&E request two-year program budgets of $30 million, $6 million and $6.3 million, respectively. All of these programs represent continuations of existing efforts. No other organizations proposed statewide marketing programs.

We continue the past levels for funding for statewide marketing and outreach programs for 2004-05, as follows:

· Efficiency Partnership - $30 million over two years for marketing and education programs that capitalize on the "Flex Your Power" campaign through TV, newspaper, radio and targeting English and Asian-speaking communities;

· RS&E- $5 million over two years for statewide programs directed to English and Spanish-speaking customers in rural communities primarily through radio and printed materials, including grants to community-based organizations with strong community ties;

· Univision-- $6 million over two years for marketing and information to Spanish-speaking communities, using televised messages, building on its success from the previous years.

RS&E should reallocate its approved budget to most effectively accomplish the broad marketing goals and objectives identified in its proposals. Efficiency Partnership, Univision and RS&E should submit revised program implementation plans for Energy Division approval, consistent with the modifications directed in Attachment 7.

Efficiency Partnership, RS&E and Univision should continue to coordinate their efforts with each other, with the utilities, and the other non-utility energy efficiency program implementers for consistent, coherent and timely marketing and outreach.

Efficiency Partnership should continue to make prominent, information about non-utility programs so that access to them is comparable to information about utility design. Efficiency Partnership should continue to coordinate with non-utility implementers in ways that represent their programs effectively at the website.

B. Administration of Marketing and Outreach Programs

Until such time as the Commission establishes a new regime for measurement and evaluation of all energy efficiency programs, each recipient of M&O program funding should engage a third party to evaluate marketing and outreach program performance.

Plans for this evaluation should be included in the implementation plans to be submitted no later than 60 days from the date of the decision approving the marketing and outreach proposals. Each funding recipient should also post its plans on its websites in a prominent location. In addition to the requirements in the previous section, each plan should contain the following information:

· Title of Individual Program

· Plans to implement the decision's changes to the original proposal

· Objective measures for evaluating program success

· Hard-to-reach target and goals. The funding recipient identify them in its plan, consistent with the Commission's order.

· Budget information in a format provided by Commission staff, which describes specifically how the funding recipient will use apply funds to various activities.

· Description of coordination plan with other providers of marketing and outreach for consistent, coherent and timely campaigns.

The Commission will monitor and evaluate the statewide marketing and outreach programs using the plan as a benchmark. The parties should not delay the program preparations or commencement while in the preparation stage or after submission of the program implementation plans.

SCE shall continue to administer the 2004-2005 marketing and outreach programs approved in this decision. SCE should contract with RS&E, Efficiency Partnership and Univision to ensure that funding is used only on energy efficiency messages authorized in this decision. Program payment will depend on the implementers' compliance with contractual requirements. The other utilities shall transfer allocated PGC funds for statewide marketing and outreach to SCE so that it may compensate Efficiency Partnership, RS&E, and Univision. In all cases, the Commission will retain total ownership interest in all content developed with the funding it awards here.