EDF Launch Ad

In 2011, EDF Energy was in a tough place. The business was losing money and it had little differentiation from its rivals in a marketplace beset by consumer mistrust. It needed a new approach.

Up until that point, EDF had viewed marketing as a communications function that merely ‘coloured in’ a broader business strategy.

The client eventually embraced the notion of a ‘customer love’ brand strategy and bought into my idea of “Feel Better Energy” brand positioning, that not only informed its marketing comms, but the entirety of its business, from product and price, to promotion, place and people.

The star of its revitalisation strategy was the brand character I created called zingy. Zingy created an emotional bond between EDF and it’s consumers. Zingy not only proven popular with adult consumers (In June 2014, 80% of consumers recognised Zingy and 40% associated it with EDF), he even inspired children to build Zingy replicas in Minecraft!

More prosaically, when rivals were still losing business, Zingy and Feel Better Energy have helped EDF grow its market share and its once-declining customer base, by 13% at the same time achieve strong profitability. Not only that but at the marketing awards it won the grand prix at the marketing society excellence awards in 2015.