National Fuel
National Fuel’s Weather Any Storm campaign was created to reassure its customers facing financial challenges that help with winter heating bills is available. But, with customer accounts topping $85 million in arrears, National Fuel aimed to move beyond campaign promotion to focus on actively demonstrating its program support.
To do so, it needed to raise awareness of the range of payment assistance and support programs available and drive participation in exploring eligibility requirements and program enrollment. It enlisted marketing partner Mower to help ensure customers got that message.
National Fuel’s customers were experiencing different levels of hardship and debt, often without any financial safety net. With each bill pushing some customers further behind, National Fuel wanted to convey that asking for help isn’t a sign of failure—it’s really a step towards relief.
Our research revealed three key barriers that were stopping customers from reaching out:
To drive program participation and connect customers with assistance, we’d have to promote one clear message: help is available for everyone, and accessing it is straightforward.
As an industry leader, National Fuel needed messaging that matched its strength. We reoriented the Weather Any Storm campaign messaging from broad promises towards concrete evidence, leading with numbers that demonstrated real financial relief.
We reinforced that message with clear, actionable CTAs that cut through typical program complexity, making it easy for overwhelmed customers to take the next step. We also introduced a new, interactive creative platform on TrueX, which provided relief options based on customers’ answers.
By replacing confusing financial details and utility jargon with straightforward information, we helped National Fuel demonstrate its commitment to the community through real dollars and practical solutions.
With increased program promotion came incredible results. Over the 2023-2024 winter heating season, we accrued:
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