Santee Cooper

Defeat the Peak. Bank the Savings.

How we turned energy usage into must-watch content.

Let’s be honest: telling 2 million people when to run their dishwasher isn’t exactly the stuff of viral dreams. But that was Santee Cooper’s challenge — and we weren’t about to solve it with another yawn-inducing PSA. Instead, we leaned into what people do care about: family feuds, neighborly one-upmanship, and good old-fashioned bragging rights. Thus, “The Santees vs. The Coopers” was born — a suburban energy showdown where laughs were shared, meters were watched, and peak hours were finally understood.

:30 Defeat the Peak

:30 Summer Heat

Strategy & Tactics

We ditched the lectures and leaned into storytelling. Our strategy? Build two fictional families, pack them with personality, and pit them against each other in a battle of energy smarts. Through broadcast-quality videos, social shorts, and snackable teachable moments, we turned kilowatt-hours into sitcom-level entertainment. Each ad focused on a single behavior change, explained through humor and highly relatable scenarios (shoutout to every dad who’s ever argued with a thermostat). Behind the scenes, we used AI workflows to churn out an endless stream of content—from character-driven social assets to dynamic video variations—designed to keep the campaign fresh across every touchpoint.