A Technical Bill. A Powerful Opponent. A Legislative Win.

A state energy coalition set out to change a highly technical regulation with a short legislative window and a powerful company opposing it. Tigercomm simplified the message, targeted the networks around six key lawmakers and helped the bill become law.

Challenge

The client needed to pass a Virginia law ending “uneconomic dispatch,” a utility practice that keeps higher-cost power plants running on coal when cheaper renewable energy is available.

The issue for HB 1360 was technical, the legislative window was short and the opposition had a roughly 20-to-1 spending advantage. The client's strongest supporters also lived outside the areas represented by several priority lawmakers. A broad awareness campaign would have squandered limited time and money.

The campaign needed to make a complex issue understandable and reach the people most likely to influence key legislators.

Strategy

Tigercomm determined that precision outweighed scale.

We turned “uneconomic dispatch” into a clear affordability and accountability message: “Stop Overpriced Power.” The campaign focused on unnecessary costs and consumer fairness without getting lost in utility jargon.

We then built a targeted campaign around six priority lawmakers. Rather than advertise broadly, we reached people in their personal and professional networks, including staff, major donors, former colleagues and local media.

Tigercomm aligned the message, targeting, advertising content, timing and campaign partners behind one political strategy.

Execution

• Developed the “Stop Overpriced Power” campaign name, message framework and creative strategy.
• Built custom audiences around six priority lawmakers, identifying 6,682 people in their influence networks.
• Produced five static ads and four short videos and managed targeting, approvals, timing and reporting.

Results

HB 1360 was signed into law.

During the one-month campaign:

• Campaign content was delivered 474,350 times within priority political networks.
• The ads drove 539 visits to the client's campaign pages.
• Static and video creative outperformed campaign benchmarks.

The campaign also gave the client a clearer picture of which political networks were reachable and which messages resonated, creating value beyond the immediate legislative fight.