Marketers’ Summer Events Promote Propane in Fun Ways

Propane isn’t just for home heating, and a propane marketer isn’t just someone who delivers fuel in the wintertime. Those are two messages spotlighted in summer events organized by three different propane marketers. These events included cookouts, demo days, an up-close display of a propane bobtail, free giveaways, a customer appreciation breakfast, and a charity golf tournament.

Blossman Gas, the seventh-largest propane dealer in the country with locations in 16 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, encourages each of its branches to hold at least one event annually. Some branches do more, often scheduling events to correspond with holidays or community activities.

“We have a few focuses this summer,” says Emily Willis, director of marketing at Blossman Gas and Alliance AutoGas. “One is to get people into our branches, and we find an easy way to do that is to invite them in before big grilling holidays like the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Another focus is education. A lot of people don’t entirely understand what propane is and how it can make their lives more comfortable. By hosting people at our branches, we have an opportunity to demonstrate the convenience of using this clean, American fuel at home.”

Blossman branches promote filling grill cylinders and grilling with events and specials. The events include cookouts that are held at the branches and are open to customers and anyone else who stops by. Blossman Gas also produces an email newsletter that includes recipes for things that can be cooked on a propane grill.

The branches show people what propane can do by holding demo days in which vendors and reps display different brands and let people try out the products to see them in action. They focus on grills, outdoor living, and water heaters to name a few in the summer; once the weather starts to get cooler, they add in gas logs and other space heating products in the winter. In addition, Blossman Gas produces a lifestyle catalog filled with photos of people enjoying the comfort provided by propane appliances.

“We want to show people that propane is more than a heating energy source; it is something that can provide a higher level of comfort,” Willis says. “We show them all of the benefits of tankless water heaters, cooking appliances, and outdoor living products. We show they can be on trend with the things they have seen in home magazines, whatever budget they have, and wherever they want to live. We show them the lifestyle they can have with propane, and that we can help them get there.”

Paraco Gas Corp. (Rye Brook, N.Y.), a propane marketer with 27 locations in five Northeastern states, joined up with radio station 104.7 (WELJ) to present Big Rig Saturday on Saturday, April 28. This fun-filled event featured displays of vehicles and other activities at the YMCA East Hampton RECenter. Funds raised at the event were donated to Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

Among the vehicles on display were ambulances, fire department trucks and equipment, a trolley, a Tesla electric car, a Sprint phone company truck, a large Ariel crane truck, an old-fashioned limo, and a bucket truck that people could pay to go up in (with profits benefiting the charity). The event also featured food tables and a petting zoo.

Paraco displayed its newly rebranded Paraco bobtail truck at Big Rig Saturday, and two Paraco employees were on hand to greet attendees with some fun giveaways, including the company’s popular propane tank stress balls and rubber duckies.

“The Paraco bobtail was a highlight,” says Desirae Haluk, marketing director at Paraco. “Children and adults alike were invited to climb in, sit in the vehicle, and take a close-up look.”

The Paraco driver and a Long Island Paraco customer service rep wore Paraco T-shirts and sweatshirts, handing out rubber duckies to kids. Paraco’s table included signage so it could be easily spotted. The Paraco representatives had the opportunity to speak with adults about their propane needs, with many people complimenting the truck and its new logo.

Senergy Marketing Group (Philipsburg, Pa.), a rural Pennsylvania marketing agency serving both local and statewide brands, encourages its clients in the propane and fueloil industries to tie their marketing in with activities that are fun.

“Propane and fueloil are products people need to have, but don’t want to buy,” says Ryan Scaife, marketing professional and owner of Senergy Marketing Group. “A convenience store, on the other hand, sells things people don’t need, but want. So, those two industries require different marketing tactics. One is a need, the other is a want.”

For Senergy client Flynn Energy (Towanda, Pa.), Scaife helps plan and facilitate events. This year Flynn Energy is holding its fourth-annual Customer Appreciation Breakfast and its eighth-annual Charity Golf Tournament. The breakfast, which was held in April, served nearly 300 meals and raised $500 for charity. The golf tournament is an all-day event that includes not only golf, but also live music, a grill, and cocktails. The golf tournament raised $16,000 for charity last year and has raised over $100,000 since it started. Before, during, and after the events, content and photos are posted on Facebook, Instagram, and Flynn Energy’s website: flynn-energy.com.

“These events tie positivity to a ‘need’ product,” Scaife says. “Community outreach projects like these are fun events. The breakfast Flynn Energy hosts shows they care about their customers. It is held at the end of the heating season, March or April, and it says, ‘Thanks for doing business with us.’”

Activities people enjoy and the community they live in are also the themes of some other campaigns Senergy Marketing Group has created for clients. A campaign for Bedford Valley Petroleum (Everett, Pa.) features student athletes from local schools. “That is a way to get your name out there, promote awareness, and tie this ‘need’ product to a sport people enjoy,” Scaife says. A campaign for JJ Powell (Philipsburg, Pa.) features historic photos of employees and the company’s longstanding history tagged as “The Hometown Originals.” —Steve Relyea