Powering Awareness in Rhode Island

Rhode Island Energy wanted to increase awareness of its Home Energy Assessment (HEA)—a free service designed to help homeowners save energy and reduce their utility costs. Despite the benefits, awareness and participation among Rhode Island residents remained low, especially within younger and diverse audiences.

Tapping into hyperlocal influencers.

We knew Rhode Island residents were more likely to engage with services promoted by real people they trust. Social media influencers, particularly those with a focus on lifestyle, DIY and real estate, offer a powerful channel to demonstrate the value of HEAs in a way that feels authentic and relatable. We turned to them to start spreading awareness.

How everyday residents became trusted advocates.

We launched an influencer campaign using Rhode Island-based creators with deep community ties, each of whom would undergo a Home Energy Assessment themselves and share the experience with their followers.

We selected three influencers in DIY, real estate and lifestyle, and guided them in creating content that spotlighted the program’s ease and impact. Deliverables included Instagram Reels, Stories and Posts, totaling 11 pieces of content.

Messaging was strategically aligned but maintained each creator’s authentic tone. Most creators had over 50% of their audience located within Rhode Island.

Powering a perception shift.

This campaign outperformed expectations, proving that local trust can scale reach.

The results confirmed that hyperlocal advocacy fuels both awareness and brand equity, all while keeping messaging grounded, real and ROI-positive.