FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy is more than an electric utility—it’s a force for good in the communities it serves. But after facing a major brand challenge, the company needed a way to reconnect and restore trust with both employees and customers. To do that, we created a campaign that would inspire from the inside out.
Research revealed a sharp decline in customer trust and employee pride. FirstEnergy’s awareness efforts around community support and environmental stewardship lagged behind peer utilities. The challenge wasn’t just about shifting external perception—it was about reconnecting employees to their purpose and reinforcing FirstEnergy’s values. So, we decided to shine a light on the dedicated men and women who power FirstEnergy’s mission every day.
Most customers think of FirstEnergy as the company that keeps the lights on. But we do so much more than that. Serving communities. Driving sustainability. Powering opportunities. Truly lighting the way. This campaign wasn’t just about corporate messaging. It was about real people, real impact, and real stories that deserved to be told.
Through documentary-style storytelling, our “Light the Way” campaign captured employees going beyond their job descriptions to make a difference.
The campaign launched with a company-wide town hall featuring an inspiring video narrated by FirstEnergy’s new president. From there, an integrated media strategy brought these stories to life across multiple channels.
Pre-roll video and social media featured real employees demonstrating FirstEnergy’s core values.
A full-scale digital and streaming video strategy, alongside broadcast TV, radio, and digital audio, ensured the campaign reached the right people.
Programmatic and traditional out-of-home placements—on video-capable screens in malls and movie theaters—kept the message visible in everyday moments.
impressions
site visits
social video views
“Light the Way” made a measurable impact. We generated more than 400M impressions and 688K site visits across FirstEnergy’s customer footprint, including over 54M impressions from digital media alone. Facebook and Instagram generated nearly 8M video views, boosting brand awareness and improving key brand perceptions. Most important of all, the campaign successfully helped reignite employee pride—evidenced by a 6.5% increase in employee sentiment—and restore customer confidence.
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