Green Line Initiative
How I turned a request for a print ad into a first-of-its-kind renewable energy partnership.
My Role
Creative Direction | Copywriting
Strategy | Trainspotting
The Problem
The client wanted a print ad.
The audience wanted proof.
NIPSCO, a Chicago-area utility client, was committed to green energy, but few believed . The brief was straightforward: create print ads promoting their environmental efforts. But another utility running ads about going green wasn't going to change anyone's mind. People are skeptical of energy companies claiming to care about the planet. NIPSCO didn't need another ad. They needed proof.
The Approach
Don't just advertise clean energy.
Demonstrate it.
There was no ready-made story to tell. So I pitched one we could build from scratch: partner with the local commuter South Shore Line, power the electric trains with NIPSCO's renewable energy, and use the train itself as the media channel.
We brokered the partnership between NIPSCO and the rail line, standing up a program that had never existed before. A print ad says "we care about clean energy." A train powered by clean energy says it without saying anything.
The Work
The trains became the message.
Interior car posters connected the renewable energy powering the ride to what riders could choose at home. Station platform signage extended the story to the platform, reaching commuters before they even stepped on board. Every touchpoint tied the abstract concept of clean energy to something people could feel under their feet.
The Result
From last place to a brand people actually trusted.
What started as a print ad brief became a first-of-its-kind partnership between an energy company and a commuter rail line. NIPSCO's environmental credibility went from a claim to something people experienced on their morning commute.
It also became a key part of a larger effort to shift public perception. NIPSCO went from dead last in the J.D. Power rankings to #2.