Giving Boston Gas A Service Edge

Cohn Godley Breaks Inaugural Work for Energy Supplier’s New Unit
BOSTON–ServicEdge, one of the first companies to emerge from the deregulation of the utility industry, has unveiled its debut advertising campaign from Cohn Godley Norwood in Boston.
Headquartered in Burlington, Mass., ServicEdge is a division of Eastern Enterprise, the Weston, Mass.-based holding company of utility and transportation companies, including Boston Gas. ServicEdge was formed to sell the services of Boston Gas.
Cohn Godley last year was awarded the estimated $3 million assignment to introduce and brand the newly created company.
“Our commitment, your comfort” is the tagline for the campaign, which consists of print, outdoor and radio advertising as well as a Web presence and what Cohn Godley’s senior vice president of marketing Ken Dec calls a “significant” direct mail component.
Two print ads now running in The Boston Globe, Quincy Patriot-Ledger and other newspapers tout the reliability and availability of the company’s service technicians. The headline of one execution reads, “No wonder we’re more responsive. Our energy service technicians are in your neighborhood even before you call.” The body copy explains that the “same people who have served the Boston area for decades” under the Boston Gas moniker now work for ServicEdge.
According to ServicEdge president Bob Miller, his company decided on Cohn Godley for its utility industry expertise and “because they had experience building new companies and leveraging brands.”
Dec, who led the agency’s pitch team, oversaw Enron Corp.’s account during his tenure first at Ingalls, Quinn & Johnson’s direct marketing unit and later at Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, both in Boston.
“It’s one of these wonderful opportunities where you’re helping to build a business,” said Dec, who helped create the new company’s name. “As deregulation occurs, there’s a market opening up for independent services,” he said. “They’re really local service folks, and that’s really the positioning opportunity. People buy responsiveness and reliability.”
ServicEdge’s competitors range from Sears home services to numerous independent contractors.