FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GAHANNA, Ohio August 27, 2012 — AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), announces the launch of its new advertising campaign. The campaign encourages consumers to stop wasting energy in their homes by participating in AEP Ohio’s efficient products programs. Ads are currently running in newspapers, magazines, television, radio, outdoor and digital media and will continue through mid-November.
The campaign grew out of the simple insight that most consumers do not want to be viewed as wasteful. “The issue we faced was overcoming the fact that wasted energy is not something we can actually see or identify with,” said Terri Flora, AEP Ohio, director of communications. “To help people see wasted energy for what it really is, a visual icon was created in order to give it physical form. Our ads feature an iconic visualization of the “something” that people cannot see -- wasted energy. By showcasing wasted energy icons in everyday scenarios, we were able to make the issue understandable and relatable to consumers.”
The campaign theme is “Energy is precious. Let’s not waste it.” At the center of the effort is AEP Ohio’s appliance rebate program which offers a variety of financial rewards, as well as energy savings, for its customers who purchase an ENERGY STAR® certified clothes washer, refrigerator, freezer, dehumidifier or Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) blubs. Created by Engauge Columbus, the ads carry unique wasted energy messages which are often delivered in humorous style.
To learn more about all of AEP Ohio’s residential energy efficiency programs, visit AEPOhio.com/Rebates.
AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Ohio Power Company in Ohio and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east and north Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio. News releases and other information about AEP can be found at aep.com.
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