Utility Week

People & Opinion Utility Week community UTILITY WEEK | 1ST - 7TH JULY 2016 | 7 At a time when the energy sector is among the least trusted in the UK, and at a time of momentous change with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) setting its final remedies (see page 10), Dr Frid- rik Larsen is urging suppliers to become more brand-oriented. Larsen has a PhD in energy branding and set up LarsEn Energy Branding as Europe's first branding consultancy with a focus on the energy sector. How can energy branding help utilities in the UK at a time of transformation in the industry? Branding helps utilities to form relationships with customers Opinion Dr Fridrik Larsen, founder, LarsEn Energy Branding and gain their trust. It used to be easy to stand out from the big six by just being new, but now the big six have started to become more brand-oriented. Is energy branding evolving? We have seen some improve- ment in the utility brand that is addressing the basic issues they are facing; cost, reliability, bill- ing. Today we have the service brand, the low-cost brand, the green brand and the local brand. There is an opening in the mar- ket for some abstract terms like fun and exciting. We are going to see the Apple of energy in terms of the enthusiasm some consum- ers have towards a company, no question. Are utilities in the UK doing enough to gain consumer trust? Yes, and no. Companies are investing in customer satisfaction, and many have been improving. But customers don't care about their utilities – some hate them – but generally they don't think about them. That is the problem, that lack of caring. How can energy brand- ing help to promote smart meters and encourage behaviour change? Smart technology could let the consumer know that the utility cares about them: through recognising patterns Utility Week Awards open to entries The Utility Week Awards 2016 are now open to entries. The 14 award categories are open to any company involved in the utilities sector – companies producing, distributing and retailing energy or water. Other companies are welcome to enter jointly with utility partners. We are looking for those companies that go above and beyond the call of duty, so we will be asking you to demonstrate that you had ambitious aims, proportionate to the size of your company, and that you met or exceeded them. They recognise excellence across the industry, no matter what the sector, the size of the company or the scale of the project. Entries will be judged by independent panels of industry experts. Our judges know the industry, so they are less impressed by a glossy entry than by one that clearly demonstrates achievements – and backs them up with evidence. So decide where your company has excelled: submit your entries by 9 September and get ready to cele- brate your company's achievements. The important dates for your diary are: • Call for entries – now open • Entry deadline – Friday 9 September • Shortlist announced – Friday 7 October • Awards ceremony – Monday 12 December Register your intention to enter at www.utilityweekawards.co.uk to receive an extra week on the entry deadline and be kept up to date with all the latest new regarding the awards. Utility Week would like to thank Capgemini, Vision Consulting and Lowri Beck for their support of the 2016 awards. Anglian Water supports Armed Forces Day Anglian Water rolled out its support for the biggest date in the Armed Forces calendar last week, when it worked with North East Lincolnshire Council to hold an Armed Forces Day event in Cleethorpes. Anglian Water's stand was manned by some of its employees who are also military reservists. They gave visitors an insight into what working life is like on 'Civvy Street' and why Anglian Water chief executive Peter Simp- son recently pledged to welcome former military personnel and reservists into the company's workforce. "Ex-service men and women have an important role to play in the region's workplaces," Simpson said. "Anglian Water is one of the biggest employers in the east of England and there are also several military bases on our patch, so I feel we have a real responsibility to do all we can to sup- port our service personnel." and alerting the customer when there is something different in the usage pattern, utilities can establish themselves as a likeable brand. What advice would you give a new supplier entering the market? Take an abstract stance. But you have to keep in mind that any abstract needs to be the heart and soul of the brand and all touchpoints should reflect it. If someone takes a gimmick approach and supplies energy as Clown Power!, then the consumer would expect a lot of silliness everywhere.

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