Content check:

You’ve got a consumer magazine, billboards, newspaper ads, digital and print billing messages, member meetings, plan handouts, postcards, digital ads and a constant stream of social content. That’s the content you plan. Expect surprise content needs, too. Your success depends on uniting all of your content—planned or not—to tell a clear, cohesive story.

The Utility Pioneers at WK&T, a telecommunications co-op with more than 25,000 broadband, voice and TV subscribers in Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee, get marketing and content help from two partners:

• Pioneer Utility Resources designs annual marketing campaigns and writes and delivers WK&T Connection, a bimonthly member magazine.
• As Calix broadband platform users, WK&T staff get campaign templates and product-based guides through the Calix ECB and Market Activation Video Editor studio (MAVE).

The marketing team faced a challenge:
Keep content consistent, no matter the source.

“We had to figure out how it all fits,” WK&T Marketing and Revenue Manager Natalie Morgan says. With more than 25 years of experience as a utility storyteller, Natalie knew both Calix and Pioneer offer solid content. “We needed our Pioneer-made pieces and the Calix pieces to work together.”

For WK&T, the answer is a three-way partnership turning potential content chaos into a smooth, unified and time-saving storytelling system.

One Story, Two Sources: Connection Matters

When planning WK&T’s marketing for 2025, Natalie and Pioneer Account Manager Lisa Savage looked for ways Pioneer could amplify an existing Calix campaign.

As a Calix Go-To-Market Agency, Pioneer staff have access to Calix marketing templates and add content and templates to the ECB, too.

Lisa and Natalie decided to use Calix’s Connection Matters campaign as a starting point for 2025 storytelling.

“When I saw a set of Calix materials used the Connection Matters theme, it clicked,” Natalie says. “That tagline fits right in with what we’ve been saying to subscribers for years through our Live Life Connected campaign. A lot of our stories and marketing have been about making and keeping connections. This campaign is another way to strengthen that part of our story.”

Pioneer’s team took inspiration from the Calix campaign, including:

• Tagline
• A thick blue frame inside the image
• Frame gap at bottom for contact information and branding.

WK&T-specific elements were blended in, including icons for the types of service the telco offers subscribers.

Pioneer created campaigns and content based on the Calix template. This means whether subscribers see materials created by Pioneer or pulled directly from Calix, the messaging feels familiar.

When urgent needs come up, the Calix ECB provides quick solutions.

“The day before the event, I realized I needed teaching materials for the tables,” Natalie recalls. “I headed to the ECB, quickly rebranded and recolored everything, sent the content to a local printer within minutes and it turned out great.”

Based on what Calix programs the telco wants to advertise, Pioneer Social’s team searches through both the ECB and MAVE video content and includes the content in scheduled storytelling.

In the first six months of 2025, WK&T’s social media storytelling earned a 10.6% engagement rate across 70 published posts, compared with the average engagement rate of 1.6% for utilities.

“By working together, we’re not only meeting Natalie’s needs, we’re building a foundation for scalable growth and innovation in an industry that never stands still,” Lisa says.

Lean on Calix Experts

Storytelling needs more than ads to connect with the community. Lisa and Pioneer Writer Drew Woolley work with Calix Senior Success Account Manager Shawn Supan to add Calix-specific content to the telco’s WK&T Connection magazine.

“I truly enjoy working with Lisa,” Shawn says. “It has been a great collaboration. We have been able to discuss goals and initiatives, so we can continue to move WK&T forward.”

Drew writes features about how WK&T connects lives in the community. He also writes a subscriber education column, Living Connected. Over the last year, Drew worked with Lisa and Shawn to highlight Calix products in the column, including:

• WK&T Control App
• Outdoor Wi-Fi

“If marketing efforts and storytelling can help connect the dots on ‘what this does for me,’ ‘how it will enrich my lifestyle,’ it seems to resonate better,” Shawn says. “The days are gone of listing features like a menu.”

WK&T’s partner-connected storytelling results are strong.

“The app is going really well,” Natalie says, noting 5,153 subscribers use the app so far. “We’ve made focused, strategic efforts over the past six to eight months, and we’ve successfully converted many customers. It’s a strong start—but there’s still more work ahead.”

WK&T installers have a card in their wallets that they ask customers to scan to download the app. At community events, the telco shows the new equipment along with routers that should be replaced.

The telco began advertising Outdoor Wi-Fi systems in January and has a waiting list for systems.

“Don’t overlook what’s available to you with Calix,” Natalie says. “They bring a lot to the table in the ECB and MAVE video system. They’re really good. Using them is a no-brainer, since it’s included with your product. Then integrate their content with your efforts alongside partners like Pioneer to ensure everything works together.”

In addition to being a Calix Go-To-Market Agency, Pioneer has marketing partnerships with the National Information Solutions Cooperative and Meridian Cooperative. Pioneer’s team of storytellers regularly works with our members to seamlessly weave content from each of these partners into one cohesive story.

Ready to Connect Story Resources?

1. Set Up Direct Communication: Ask your marketing agency to work directly with other storytelling partners to make sure nothing gets lost and ideas can be developed together. Ensure all partners understand shared resources.
2. Align Campaigns Early: Look for natural connections between your existing messaging and vendor materials. This creates real integration rather than forced partnerships.
3. Use Templates: Make sure your campaign has templates to support both long-term strategic content and rapid-response needs. Having preapproved templates, especially in a system like the Calix ECB and Pioneer Social, makes it easy to respond to surprise story needs.

With coordination and clear communication, Utility Pioneers can create powerful, consistent storytelling campaigns and get the most value from vendor partnerships.

As your communications co-op, Pioneer’s here to help!

Want to talk about how we can help you make the most of marketing materials developed by your partners? Reach out to your account manager or ask us at hello@pioneer.coop.