Utility Week

26 | 21ST - 27TH SEPTEMBER 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Customers Analysis E nergy suppliers have long struggled with a crisis of trust. Now, with more than 70 suppliers in the market all bat- tling for attention, branding has never been more important to ensure survival. For energy networks, too, branding is crit- ical. Although they remain regional monopo- lies, gone are the days when they could get away with being faceless entities. The dra- matic pace of change in the industry means engagement with both customers and com- munities is becoming ever more important. And for completely new start-ups in the generation and renewables space wanting to attract new customers, branding is vital. When competing with big brands in other sectors, energy firms do not compare favour- ably. Global marketing consultancy Prophet recently published its fourth annual Brand Relevance Index – a ranking of the "most rel- evant" brands in consumers' lives. Prophet defines a relevant brand as one that is "cus- tomer obsessed", innovative, pragmatic and inspired. Unsurprisingly, Apple topped the league table in the UK. Other usual suspects – Google, Amazon, Spotify – were also in the top ten. As was, interestingly, the NHS. However, for energy companies, the pic- ture was less pretty. Ovo came top in the sector at number 155 out of an overall 250 brands, with British Gas second at number 200. They were followed by Eon (220), EDF Energy (241) and Npower (249). And yet, at a time of monumental change, energy firms of all stripes are striving to be brands associated with trustworthiness. "Our aim has always been to build a brand that can be trusted – and to build awareness of that brand," says Western Power Distribu- tion communication manager Paul Bishop. Utility Week asks seven companies from across the energy industry what the reasons are behind their branding strategy. Octopus Energy (challenger UK energy supplier) Greg Jackson, chief executive "Octopus is a distinctive name in a sector of boring utilities and generic 'happy start-ups'. This makes it more memorable and inspir- ing. It's based on the name of our backers, Octopus Investments, who are one of the best-known investors in renewable genera- tion. We have customers commenting on it a lot. One even sends us Octopus cartoons, another did a stop-motion video. "The colour scheme is high contrast, aid- ing accessibility. Navy blue exudes author- ity and trust – we use a less conservative, more approachable hue that leans towards purple, and in contrast to the navy, we use a white for simplicity and clarity, and a hot pink as a warm, active colour – one that is more approachable than reds or yellows, which are classic warning colours in the natural world. "We use Gotham – a modern typeface that combines the simplicity of geometric type- faces – such as Futura – with the warmer, unpretentiousness of humanist typefaces – such as Helvetica. This helps convey our values of openness, transparency and sim- plicity. Its relatively large x-height means it is highly legible and, unlike many typefaces, it has been carefully craed to render well across all kinds of devices and media. "Accessibility is very important, so if you use our website with a screen reader, it should work perfectly – and we also test how it works for a range of other conditions such as colour blindness, poor eyesight, autism, dyslexia and deafness. "We want energy to be accessible and engaging, so we have a clear no-nonsense tone of voice, but with a touch of fun so that dealing with us puts a smile on peoples' faces. We're a campaigning brand – so a bit more Brewdog than Innocent, with a blend Big name hunters In a highly competitive market how do companies ensure their brand stands out? Utility Week talks to seven energy utilities about their strategies for developing trust and differentiation. BRAND RELEVANCE INDEX Utility Place 1st Ovo Energy 155 2nd British Gas 200 3rd Eon 220 4th EDF Energy 241 5th Npower 249 source: Prophet

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