My partner Jim Houck and I, along with producer Sherri Fritzson created one of Florida's longest running televison ad campaigns through the BS&P agency. It's name was 'Bob From FPL,' and he was born in the 90's to Florida Power & Light, the state's largest electric utility, who wanted t
o build a better image, consumer trust and, maybe, even affection – although it's monopoly status made that highly unlikely.But our team proved that even the toughest marketing problem can be overcome with some creative culturesmithing – in this case, the gregarious and wise-cracking Bob, a friend who sort of represented all of FPL and conducted live, man-on-the street interviews featuring safety messages and energy conservation tips. We did some 240 different spots during our time on the campaign and sometimes edited a couple dozen new ones a month (Man, did we hone our editing skills).
The results were immediate and dramatic. Call volume and participation in conservation programs increased steadily for over a decade, and tracking studies showed that consume
rs developed markedly positive feelings about FPL. And over the years, Bob was invited to weddings, inspired kid's Halloween costumes, fan clubs and even got an Adweek cover acknowledging the 10-year run when the campaign retired. Thus we succeeded in transforming a dreaded corporate behemoth into a helpful and popular member of the community.
