Southern Company launches comprehensive GoodCents advertising campaign

Southern Company launched today its new comprehensive GoodCents advertising campaign as part of its unified marketing strategy for 1999. This represents the first time that GoodCents has been promoted under one common advertising campaign by the company’s five utilities in the Southeast.

In the past, GoodCents has been a builder program specifically targeted at homebuilders and homebuyers. This campaign repositions GoodCents as advice on energy products and services offered by Southern Company’s operating companies to create better living for customers. GoodCents energy products and services include outdoor lighting, water heating, surge protection, heating and cooling systems, energy audits and financing.

The year-long multimedia campaign will include television, radio, outdoor, newspaper and magazine advertising and will begin running today across the Southeast. The TV spots will air during prime time news and sports programming in 14 markets throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi.

Southern Company research shows that the GoodCents name communicates attributes that customers value like energy efficiency, quality, comfort and savings. “GoodCents products make our customers’ lives better, more convenient, and in many cases more cost efficient,” said Alan Martin, chief marketing officer of Southern Company.

Southern Company’s advertising agency, Shepardson Stern Kaminsky (SS+K) of New York, produced the ad campaign.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an international energy company with $35 billion in assets through regional utilities and operations around the world. It is the largest producer of electricity in the United States and one of the world’s largest independent power producers. Based in Atlanta, Southern Company is the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric. Through its Southern Energy Inc. subsidiary, Southern Company supplies electricity in 10 countries on four continents. It also provides energy-related marketing, trading and technical services and Southern LINC wireless telecommunications.