Utility Week

28 | 21ST - 27TH SEPTEMBER 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Customers distinctive blue van they drive on streets of Britain." Western Power Distribution (electricity distribution) Paul Bishop, corporate communication manager "Branding is never just about the logo or the look – it's about everything a company says and does even when it's not written down. We're very much about putting the customer first and getting the job done, which implies using common sense. "It is possible to make branding very complicated, but we haven't gone down that route. We like to keep things simple, hence the name. "Obviously, we don't allow the logo to be altered but beyond that we work to prefer- ences rather than rigid specifications. For example, we prefer our logo to be on the right but where on the right will depend on the circumstances – who's going to see a logo on the bottom right of a pull-up banner in a crowded room? "Our aim has always been to build a brand that can be trusted – and to build awareness of that brand. For nine years we've carried out a customer awareness campaign that includes TV advertising and sending literature to every customer. We've seen brand awareness more than double to around 70 per cent and our customer satis- faction level is around the 90 per cent mark." SGN (gas distribution) Hannah Brett, communications manager "When our company was formed in 2005, we were known as Scotia Gas Networks with regional identities Southern Gas Networks and Scotland Gas Networks. However, we always operated as one company, so the driver for our 2014 company-wide rebrand was to bring our name in line with the way we think. "Introducing this single SGN identity was also an opportunity to consider the impact of our brand on our customers and stakehold- ers and help them better understand who we are and what we do. One key design element was the introduction of a strapline alongside our logo (Your Gas. Our Network). This clear and simple statement was to explain our role in their lives. "The logo become the basis of our new identity, with the dot formation a nod to gas pipes and delivering heat. Elements from this new logo – the dots, the colours, etc – were woven into refreshed designs across all our collateral including publications, sig- nage and our digital channels too. "Today, we continue to evolve our brand to meet the changing expectations of our customers and stakeholders and impor- tantly to ensure we meet all accessibility standards." Orsted (renewable energy developer) Matthew Wright, UK managing director "We needed a bold brand that reflects the bold move the company is making. We're one of the largest utilities in northern Europe and we're the only one that has fully committed to be a purely renewable energy company. It's a great story, and a hugely positive one, and our visual identity reflects that sense of optimism. The brand that emerged is for- ward-looking and global, with a vision that invites humanity to build a world that runs entirely on green energy. "At the same time, it is also deeply rooted in where we've come from, taking inspi- ration both from one of Denmark's most famous scientists – Hans Christian Orsted, who discovered electromagnetism – and from the principles of simplicity, functional- ity, humanity and sustainability that make Danish design so universally appealing. It's a vision and a brand that everyone can buy into, from employees to customers and from investors to suppliers We're inviting people to 'Love your home' and to come on a jour- ney to protect the planet; who wouldn't want to be a part of that?" Limejump (smart energy company and DSR aggregator) Joshua Greedy, head of marketing "The brand that had been established for Limejump had been created to bring the first iteration of a start-up to life, taking inspira- tion from the name literally and using fun graphics to stand out from the anonymous corporate style of the competition. While this brand had established a personality, and with our major product launches developing in 2018, we needed to update and evolve the brand towards a stylish yet fun look and feel. "Creating this graphic look, Jonas Suarez, lead UX [user experience] and designer, took our brand personality and the literal name, updated it to be more sophisticated, estab- lished further the colours and incorporated the idea of electricity frequency within the icon. Also thinking literally, the icon and logo had to be memorable and adaptable. "Jonas took this to test teams to identify the memorability of the icon and colours as well as type font. We then developed the tone and voice of how our language speaks to our customers and the public. We embraced the notion of being transparent and granular in detail offered to customers." Labrador (smart energy switching start-up) Jane Lucy, founder and chief executive "I did some brand research and found there were pretty much two types of brand approaches in the market – one that was very functional and transactional (such as Uswitch) and another that was more rela- tional with a warm connection to the home (such as Nest). Clearly, as a service that is a 'for life' solution, ensuring a household is always on a cheap energy deal, we wanted something to cement us in the latter camp. "What I liked about Labrador was that not only was it a connection to the home and lifestyle, it stood for a lot of our brand val- ues – trust, loyalty, a friendly guide – plus, it happened to also fit in with our device being a retriever (of data). The biggest chal- lenge in the energy market is to get people's attention. "Our brand gets people talking. It also helps to stimulate a positive response from people before you even explain what it is that we do – a big plus when there is a lot of mistrust and trepidation in the energy mar- ket due to the volume of poor customer expe- riences. Which completes the circle of our brand - being a true people's champion, on guard against supplier exploitation." continued from previous page "There are pretty much two types of brand approaches in the market – functional and transactional"

• Cover