SunRun

“Schwartz’s assertive and creative consumer PR approach generated hundreds of sales leads for SunRun and our partners in key markets like LA, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston and Phoenix,” says Lesley Beatty, Director of Marketing for SunRun. “Our dedicated Schwartz team understands how to plan and execute PR initiatives that align nicely with our business goals. They know how to craft a story that appeals across media audiences – from cleantech to business to consumers – and have the experience and agility to keep in step with our fast growing solar business,” says Lynn Jurich, President and co-founder, SunRun.

Business Challenge

When SunRun began working with Schwartz Communications in October of 2008 California green enthusiasts were already familiar with the company’s accessible solar power purchase agreement (PPA) offering. Therefore, the PR program was to focus on reaching the average homeowner eager to escape rising energy rates and educate him/her about the huge cost savings benefits of residential solar.

Although business and mainstream consumer press had raised the visibility of the residential solar concept, Schwartz and SunRun knew that the most valuable exposure and sales leads were a result of PR campaigns to secure local, consumer-focused media coverage. Also, as the residential solar market was growing increasingly competitive, SunRun also needed to exert itself nationwide as the pioneer and founder of residential solar services.

Schwartz PR Strategy

Schwartz hit the ground running, creating a clear set of objectives for SunRun’s public relations program that would raise company visibility and educate homeowners about solar financing options. The goals of the program included:

• Create clear, simple, yet differentiated messaging to educate homeowners on “solar as a service” and position SunRun as the thought leader in this category;
• Initiate a formal customer program, screening current SunRun customers to enlist their support for media references;
• Create a groundswell of awareness around SunRun’s expansion to Massachusetts and Arizona;
• Position SunRun as a successful, credible, and trusted company among the cleantech industry and homeowners.

Results

Out of the Gate

Almost immediately, the Schwartz team was able to maximize SunRun’s news of U.S. Bancorp’s $105M tax equity investment and David Buzby, Chairman of SunEdison, joining its board of directors. On the proactive media front, the firm kick-started a formal customer program to boost local coverage.

In the first 60 days alone, Schwartz generated stories in outlets such as Reuters, Treehugger, CNET, GigaOM/Earth2Tech (syndicated by The New York Times), VentureBeat, San Francisco Business Journal, Cleantech.com, Sustainable Business, Renewable Energy World and Greentech Media. Local, lead-generating media coverage included the Los Angeles Times, the Press Enterprise (Riverside), Ventura County Star, El Dorado Hills Telegraph and Sign On San Diego, the web site for the San Diego Union Tribune.

New Service Launch

Quickly following in January 2009, SunRun launched a new service offering featuring an extremely attractive, low upfront cost to go solar—in some areas as low as $1,000 down. Schwartz secured coverage in green lifestyle publications and blogs such as Dwell Magazine, Cleantechnica, WalletPop and Matter Network helped spread the news.

Despite hesitation on the part of national media to cover a company that at the time offered service exclusively in California, Schwartz continually crafted pitches that showcased the relevance of SunRun’s unique solar as a service offering. Schwartz encouraged national media to follow and profile the company in anticipation of its Massachusetts and Arizona expansion, ultimately securing coverage in mainstream, consumer publications such as the Huffington Post and CNN Money.

Thought Leadership

To establish executive thought leadership, Schwartz placed SunRun at the center of cleantech industry trend stories in Fast Company, BNET, ZDNet and VentureBeat as well as contributed articles including an op-ed that ran in the San Diego Transcript on Earth Day 2009, the same day Lynn Jurich, president, appeared on the local NBC morning news.

Geographic Expansion

Conducting an in-depth messaging session and media training workshop during this time ensured SunRun executives were poised to announce its market expansion and clearly communicate the company’s differentiators and long term vision.

By April 2009, SunRun and Schwartz crafted a timeline and pre-brief schedule to announce its service availability in Massachusetts and Arizona. On the morning of the official expansion announcements, coverage from Forbes sparked a flurry of interest and boosted Web traffic. Highly trafficked sites such as Treehugger.com brightened the national spotlight, while local print and broadcast coverage including the Boston Globe, National Public Radio (NPR), CBS (Boston Affiliate), ABC (Boston Affiliate), New England Cable News (NECN), the Arizona Republic and the Phoenix Business Journal generated quality sales leads.

New Round of Venture Funding

On the heels of the exciting market expansion, SunRun focused on raising its Series B round, while key placements such as a prominent segment on the Fox Business News reinforced the message that solar service is a thriving business even in an economic downturn. In addition, as the Los Angeles solar market gained momentum, profiles of the company and SunRun customers were featured in the Los Angeles Times and ABC evening news (Los Angeles Affiliate), the latter of which brought in over 50 qualified leads in the immediate hours following its broadcast.

By July 2009, SunRun had secured its Series B financing from Accel Partners. Highlighting the strength of the company and executive leaders, SunRun received positive coverage from media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNET, GigaOM/Earth2Tech (syndicated by The New York Times), BNET, VentureBeat, San Francisco Business Journal and Cleantech.com.

Client Praise

As a result of Schwartz’ PR work and an increased awareness among homeowners of the benefits of solar, today SunRun continues to grow rapidly, owning and professionally monitoring more solar installations than any other company in the U.S.

©2008 Schwartz Communications, Inc.
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