Client
Deliverables
Strategy
Media Training
Media Relations
Digital Advertising
Traditional Advertising
Situation
ITC Holdings, the largest independent electricity transmission company in the United States, is building a series of new high-voltage transmission lines in Michigan as part of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) long range transmission plan (LRTP). These projects are the first new transmission lines to be built in Michigan in nearly a decade.
While MISO, which acts as the regional grid operator, has approved the scope of the projects, ITC is responsible for building the lines because it is the transmission owner in Michigan’s lower peninsula.
The company received less than favorable feedback on the first round of projects from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) and set a goal of improving the process with greater community participation and feedback.
The MPSC regulatory approval process for transmission projects requires extensive community engagement to educate landowners and community members about the need for the project, as well as feedback on regional factors for the best placement of the line routes.
To achieve this, ITC worked with Franco to develop a comprehensive and proactive communications approach that emphasized accuracy, consistency and regulatory compliance.
Approach
Franco worked with ITC to establish clear, consistent messaging early in the process to explain the purpose of the project, outline its benefits and acknowledge the perspectives of impacted landowners and communities.
Franco also recommended proactive media engagement, including hosting early informational briefings with key reporters ahead of major community outreach milestones to ensure ITC’s perspective was accurately represented from the outset.
This approach provided important context and positioned ITC as a primary source of accurate project information about the Oneida–Sabine Lake project.
Franco also supported a multi-phase paid media campaign across digital and traditional channels to raise awareness of the project and promote a series of Community Listening Sessions. These efforts encouraged residents to attend a session to learn more, ask questions and provide input that would help inform route recommendations.
Franco provided tailored media training for a cross-functional group of ITC representatives who would participate in community meetings and potential media interactions, helping ensure clear, consistent and confident communication in high-visibility settings.
In parallel, ITC established plans for a more sustained communications cadence, including recurring community updates to provide ongoing visibility into project progress.
Results
The new, more proactive approach allowed ITC to establish early visibility and provide clear, consistent information as planning for the Oneida–Sabine Lake project progressed.
Community engagement increased significantly. More than 1,000 residents attended Community Listening Sessions, and ITC collected more than 1,300 comments on potential route options. This level of participation represented a substantial increase in feedback compared to the first round of projects, despite the shorter length of the Oneida–Sabine Lake line.
Media coverage reflected balanced and well-informed reporting that incorporated ITC’s perspective alongside community viewpoints, helping ensure greater context and understanding in public discussions.
ITC representatives demonstrated increased confidence and consistency in community and media interactions, supporting more productive conversations with stakeholders.
The initiative also contributed to a broader evolution in ITC’s communications approach. The organization strengthened its ability to engage proactively while continuing to meet regulatory expectations, supporting more informed community input and more effective decision-making.
This approach better aligned with the needs of stakeholders, regulators and landowners, reinforcing the importance of transparent engagement in projects that require thoughtful consideration of community impact and property rights.
The success of this approach helped establish a new standard for project communications at ITC, with plans to apply this proactive, integrated strategy across future projects and transmission initiatives.
