How do you make consumers beg for a smart grid ? We are one step closer to an answer, thanks to an Energy ThinkIn facilitated this week by frog design. Hosted in partnership with the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative(SGCC), the ThinkIn gathered more than five dozen bright minds to brainstorm a “brand symbol” for the smart grid as the first step to a national outreach campaign.
Think hearts, not just minds
Although customer engagement has emerged as 2010’s leading theme, most discussions center around education and awareness -- around reaching consumer’s minds. It is equally important to reach hearts -- to create an emotional connection to the benefits of a modernized electric power system. And that’s where frog design comes in. The noted innovation firm, which has worked in behalf of many Fortune 500 companies, brought its proprietary ideation methodologies to bear on the problem. The all-day session generated hundreds of concepts, which were then narrowed to dozens of finalists and, eventually, to five themes. The frog team will now spend several months to refine the concepts, before presenting a final concept at the SGCC Symposium Jan. 31 (in San Diego in conjunction with the DistribuTECH conference and exhibition).
But you don’t have wait until January to start trading ideas. Jump over to the ThinkIn Web site to see the five finalists. (Start at the bottom and scroll up if you want to watch how the day unfolded.) You can also join the frog mob’s energy use group to trade ideas and pictures. In fact, you can start right here. I was skeptical initially that we could find a brand symbol that would provide an emotional connection to something as sterile as “the grid.” After a day with the energetic and ultra-creative froggies, I think it is within reach. Use the nearby QuickPoll to record your opinion.
One of several SGCC initiatives
The frog design partnership is just one of several important initiatives underway at the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative. Formed seven months ago, the non-profit is chartered for research and education in the public good. It is a multi-stakeholder group that includes utilities, vendors, researchers and consumer advocates, with the mission of accelerating the adoption of a consumer-safe, consumer-friendly smart grid. (Jump over to the SGCC membership page to glance at the all-star cast.)
SGCC is also active with:
- Focus groups to determine consumer attitudes, needs and preferences
- An integrated analysis of more than a dozen important consumer research reports, many of which were contributed by member firms
- An annual “State of the Smart Grid Consumer” report
- An annual symposium to bring together leading experts on consumer engagement
- Drafting Guiding Principles for a consumer-safe smart grid
- Gathering and sharing best practices
- A Web site that gathers the latest news and resources
I helped to co-found the SGCC and I am serving as its Acting Executive Director until a permanent director comes on at the end of the year. If you haven’t yet gotten acquainted with the organization, spend some time on the SGCC Web site. Click the Key Topics tab to see the latest news and findings. And click the Resources tab to drop down a list of useful case studies and white papers. If your organization would like to help with this important cause and get access to the research, best practices and outreach, here’s the link that summarizes SGCC membership benefits and can put you in touch.
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