Case Study 2

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WHO: Control4 Energy Systems

WHAT: In July of 2009, Control4 raised $17.3 million to bring an energy-specific platform to market. Control4 Energy Systems is dedicated to offering home area network (HAN) solutions for utilities, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) service providers and retailers. Control4's focus is to empower consumers with information to help them manage their energy use.

WHY: Control4 saw a unique opportunity to pair their successful home control solutions with energy management, creating an experience that would fully engage consumers making the Smart Grid initiative a globally adopted success. Needing to introduce their initial product offering, the Energy Management System (EMS) 100 to the utility market, Control4 Energy Systems and Caster planned a strategic launch around Autovation 2009.

HOW: Using Autovation, one of the largest utility industry events, Control4 Energy Systems planned to announce their first partnership with an electric utility cooperative out of Texas as well as officially introduce their product offering to the utility market. Caster secured press briefings with top tier media outlets including the Dow Jones Cleantech Insight and Reuters around the announcement of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative's selection of Control4 Energy as the Home Area Network (HAN) provider for their Smart Grid deployment. At Autovation 2009, Control4 Energy announced the EMS 100 and with Caster, held over 10 press meetings to top utility editors in the industry. Caster also assisted Control4 Energy in securing inclusion in top HAN / Smart Grid stories for 2010 and several speaking engagements at Smart Grid related conferences across the country.

ROI: Between August 1 to September 31, 2009, Control4 Energy Systems was featured in over 115 articles and received coverage in both national business press and utility industry publications including CNET Green Tech, Greentech Media, Dow Jones, Reuters, Earth2Tech, Intelligent Utility and Smart Grid Today. Control4 Energy gained awareness in a market they had previously not penetrated and was able to demonstrate their product offering to influences in the space. Today, Control4 Energy is regularly contacted by analysts who are studying the emerging Smart Grid industry and has secured speaking engagements at some of the industry's biggest events. Jesse Berst of "Smart Grid News" called Control4 the "company to beat in Home Area Networking" following their announcements between July and September. During the initial launch phase, the PR program Caster implemented generated over 295 million impressions.