Ashley Nicholls

Recent Posts

De-Mystifying Digital Transformation: 3 Big Questions Answered

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on September 1, 2016 at 4:55 PM
 So what is digital transformation, exactly, anyway?
 
And how can it help me reach my KPIs, improve sales, and get better data?

 
Last week we launched our newest KSV Brief on Digital Transformation. And the response was huge. 
 
Turns out, a lot of companies in the energy and sustainability space are challenged by the digital experience they are offering to their customers and the data they are able to get back out of them. 
 
Even some that you might expect would really know what to do with data, companies that specialize in helping other businesses use data to drive efficiency and business decisions, even they are struggling with gaps, holes in data, redundant and black box systems that don't speak to each other, and digital user experiences that don't reflect the best parts of their brand.
 
So we thought we'd revisit the topic again this week and answer the three biggest questions that we got about digital transformation work.
 
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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

Is Digital Transformation the Biggest Challenge Companies Are Facing Today?

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on August 25, 2016 at 10:19 PM
Today we met with an energy company who is undergoing a digital transformation, and they wanted to talk to us about the intersection of customer experience and user experience. 
 
 
We presented our 2016 annual proprietary research, and some opportunities that we had identified for them, and the conversation and prep got us thinking: is digital transformation the biggest challenge that companies are facing today?
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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

The Future of Energy: 3 Lessons from 2 Companies

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on August 17, 2016 at 10:30 PM

This week we had the privilege of meeting with a couple of great companies to talk about the future of energy.

 

(This image is from @gapingvoid. We love Hugh.)

The first company we met with is an international consultancy focused on innovation and redefining what it means to be an energy company.
 
The second: a smart and innovative large company whose primary product is insurance (well, they have a lot of products and services, but you get the idea), and guess what they wanted to talk about?
 
Energy and Innovation. The Connected Customer.
Big Data and Customer Experience.
 
Digital Transformation.
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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Clean Energy, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

Communities, Pizza & Energy: 3 Lessons on Grassroots Marketing and the Power of Community

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on August 11, 2016 at 10:30 AM

Communities are the very foundation of a society.

Interesting to think about, right?

Communities are the places we live, work and play. The places we shop for groceries. The schools our children go to. And within those communities are micro-communities. Networks of people. People who all share the same favorite lunch spot. Who all use the same dentist. Networks of new moms. Of retirees. And, over the past decade, networks of folks with ever more niche tastes.

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Hyper-Targeting and the C&I Customer

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on August 4, 2016 at 11:30 AM


A couple of weeks ago we had the chance to present at the AESP Digital Conference on customer engagement. 

It was a great day with some awesome presentations and presenters.

KSV actually had the chance to present during two sessions, one on millennials (you can download our millennial brief here and hear more about millennials when we speak at the BECC conference in October). The second was about targeting large C&I customers with native advertising and we co-presented with our client, Erin Motta from National Grid. 
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Topics: Utility Communications, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Two Examples of Search Intent Marketing: Plumbers + Marriage.

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on August 3, 2016 at 4:08 PM

On a daily basis, consumers are giving you insight into exactly what is going on in their lives. They’re telling you what they need, what they’re interested in, and the information they’re seeking to make a potentially bigger decision or investment down the road. 

But are you listening? And better yet, are you responding?  

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Topics: Utility Communications, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

How Millennials Are Changing Not Just Politics… But Your Business.

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on July 21, 2016 at 8:00 AM

With the conventions halfway over, shall we talk politics?

(Just kidding, that sounds awful. We know you get enough of that on your Facebook newsfeed.)

But in seriousness, this year marks an election that is largely based on the voters of the Rising American Electorate – the new American majority of voting-eligible citizens. They will make up a majority of voters for the first time this year.

Who makes up this R.A.E?

  • Millennials
  • Unmarried women
  • Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans
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Topics: Utility Communications, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

On Average, It Takes 22 Days and 32 Touch Points to Drive One Conversion… How Do You Measure That?

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on July 14, 2016 at 8:00 AM

On average, it takes 22 days and 32 touch-points, across various devices/media environments, to drive one conversion.

22 days + 32 touch-points = 1 conversion. 

That’s some unfair math if you ask me.

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Topics: Utility Communications, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices

Meet Eliza. She’s a Real Life Millennial with a POV on Energy Efficiency.

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on July 7, 2016 at 8:00 AM

Meet Eliza. She is a real-life customer who lives in Clifton, NJ. And her story is an important one, because her challenges (and therein, the customer opportunity!) are widely shared across her generation.

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Topics: Utility Communications, Energy Efficiency, Audience Segmentation

Four Customer Demands in 2016… This Is Your 6-Month Check-In.

Posted by Ashley Nicholls on June 30, 2016 at 8:00 AM

Back in January, we discussed the Four Customer Demands to Watch in 2016. And now, six months later, we’re checking in. How are you doing? How do your brands and your programs stack up against these customer demands?

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Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation