Simply Energy
Services
- Advertising /
- Strategy /
- Storytelling /
- Design /
- Execution /
- Digital /
- Experience /
Industry
- Energy /
Energising Australia's fastest-growing, small energy retailer.
Since 2005, Simply Energy have been powering more than half a million customers around Australia. Operated by one of the largest independent power producers in the world, ENGIE, Simply Energy provide their customers with tailored energy plans that range from basic, no-frills plans, to partner benefit plans with extra perks.
Inviting Australian customers on an exciting brand journey.
WhiteRhino was engaged by Simply Energy in 2010 following disappointing results from previous campaigns. We were tasked with the challenge of creating a direct mail piece to reduce ‘churn’ – their existing customers who switch to another energy provider.
Following the success of this single job, we fostered a client relationship that has spanned the last 9 years and over 1,000 individual jobs.
During this time, our involvement has evolved from providing services on a project-by-project basis to becoming Simply Energy’s full-service advertising agency.
Our part in nurturing and growing this up-and-coming energy retailer culminated with a brand relaunch in 2015. Having operated within Australia for 10 years, the brand was entering its adolescence; reflecting on its identity and purpose at a time when it was still young enough to adapt.
In our role as creative agency, we asked how Simply Energy could maintain cut-through in an energy market that had rapidly become a major focus for consumers over the past 5 years. Investigating what motivates consumers to choose a tier-two brand over the bigger energy retailers, WhiteRhino facilitated workshops that saw the development of their new brand vision and strategy, leading to the airing of their first ever television commercial.
Designing hundreds of documents to make life easier for customers
Since then, our partnership with Simply Energy has led to WhiteRhino producing almost every brand touchpoint throughout the customer journey. These projects included internal engagement programmes and acquisition, bills, forms and legal documents, and retention and churn campaigns – both above and below the line.
Our programme of work also extended to overarching strategy and creative for the brand, including quarterly seasonal campaigns featuring press advertising and billboards as well as all of the brand’s business-as-usual activity.
This not only covered Simply Energy’s commodity gas and electricity, but also spanned their offerings in solar, LED, battery, VPP and their online store.
After a long relationship together with WhiteRhino leading their creative, Simply Energy has more than doubled its number of accounts – now servicing over 720,000 customers across Australia.
Gold Class Partnership
Rolling out the red carpet experience for loyal customers.
As an energy brand with a connection to their customers that extends far beyond electricity and gas, we helped Simply Energy leverage customers’ lifestyle traits to offer them more value and excitement than they’d get just from keeping the lights on.
One of the retailer’s most popular energy plans, Gold Class Plus is the result of a nation-wide partnership with Village and Event Cinemas. On the plan, movie-lovers are awarded with cinema tickets, insights and perks, every time they pay the bills.
Helping Simply Energy capitalise on a wide-reaching customer base.
Delicately balancing energy messaging with the allure of Gold Class tickets, WhiteRhino developed the nation-wide campaign strategy and roll out for Simply Energy’s cinema partnership.
Using the brand mascots as the vehicle to show customers they can choose from any of their movie favourites, the campaign aligned perfectly with the brand’s broader partnership strategy that whatever you’re into, there’s something for you at Simply Energy.
AFL Partnership
As self-proclaimed footy fanatics and with their head office in Melbourne, Simply Energy were proud to forge a lucrative brand partnership with the AFL beginning in 2017.
Through the partnership, the brand has teamed up with the AFL for dozens of activations and offers, including AFL website takeovers, game sponsorships, and a Scream-a-Metre pop-up at Marvel Stadium.
A strategic brand alliance worthy of a cheer.
With so many AFL-partnership touchpoints, WhiteRhino established an identity for the alliance that granted both brands instant recognisability and leveraged footy vernacular to strike a chord with fans.
That’s a free kick!
Helping to define strategies that rewarded customers with free kicks like dollars off their energy bill, WhiteRhino crafted the marketing campaign collateral from print advertisements to display advertising, email campaigns and signage.
Brand
Campaigns
Sparking recognition for a minor player in the energy market.
The Australian energy market is a competitive climate, with the big, well-known brands saturating advertising space and commanding the attention of consumers.
As a tier-two energy brand, Simply Energy needed to impress their customers with a differentiated brand experience from their competitors and remind them what energy is really about; adding light and warmth to the home you love.
Campaigns that reinforce the meaning of home.
Simply Energy understands that price isn’t the only factor that drives consumers’ decision to change energy providers. We created seasonal brand campaigns that put customer values and lifestyle decisions front and centre, aligning the brand with what matters most to its audience. Using the brand mascots, Earl, Elli and Edwin as a vehicle to demonstrate how Simply Energy works helpfully in the background, each campaign was inspired by small moments around the home where energy plays a quiet role; cooking with friends and family, arriving home to a warm house, or just getting stuck into some spring cleaning.
