As British consumers battle through the biggest drop in living standards since the 1950s, a very complex set of circumstances has befallen brands of all categories. How do you appropriately market your products to a populace that can barely afford basic necessities, let alone indulgent frivolities?
All roads of course point to finding the right tone of voice within a suitably sober, but not excessively dour messaging strategy.
With complex political and economic global circumstances driving wholesale gas prices to stratospheric levels over the past 12 months, energy companies in particular have had to swiftly revise their creative strategies, with brands such as British Gas increasingly focusing on advice-based campaigns, centred around money-saving tips and customer support initiatives.
This important strategic shift has not been exclusive to the energy sector however, with telecom firms, grocers and a diverse range of charities all adjusting their messaging to support customers through the crisis.
British Gas – Money Saving Engineers
British Gas recently unveiled ‘Money Saving Engineers, a cross-platform campaign that highlights the ways in which the 7,500 UK-wide British Gas engineers can help customers save money and manage their household bills.
The campaign – produced by creative agency The&Partnership – also showcases the brand’s new ‘first of its kind’ free savings calculator which provides customers with a clear breakdown of how much money they could be saving and how.
The 30-second spot features real British Gas engineers who all depict the ways in which they work across the UK to not only keep homes warm and working, but to ‘propel the nation’ toward a more energy-efficient and cost-efficient future.
“Money Saving Engineers aims to galvanise the public and commit to a sustained effort to bring down bills on a national scale. The engineers themselves embody British Gas’ proactive spirit and dedication to helping today and changing tomorrow,” The&Partnership executive creative director Toby Allen said.
The Dogs Trust – Ground Dog Day
The Dogs Trust has partnered with creative agency VCCP to launch a new integrated brand platform that aims to keep dogs and their owners together through the cost-of-living crisis.
The new omnichannel campaign looks to position the charity as the go-to platform for people seeking advice as they struggle with pet costs in the face of the global economic downturn.
Spearheaded by a touching 60-second spot, “Ground Dog Day” marks VCCP’s inaugural campaign for the Dogs Trust since being named its agency of record late last year.
“The cost of living crisis is having a huge impact on dog owners. We’re receiving an unprecedented amount of calls from people who feel like they have no other choice but to give up loved family dogs because they can no longer afford to keep them,” Dogs Trust marketing director, Nick Daniel said.
“This is why we have created this campaign to highlight all the various ways we can help and keep them and their families together with their dogs.
Smart Energy GB – Help Britain create a future that’s less reliant on imported gas
Not-for-profit campaign Smart Energy GB released its latest TV spot earlier this month, aiming to explain how smart meters can help make the UK more self-sufficient in energy.
Developed in partnership with creative agency AMV BBDO, the 30-second film details how the mass-rollout of smart meters could enable Britian to ween itself off imported gas amid the most significant energy crisis in decades.
Tapping into the public recognition of world-renowned German scientist Albert Einstein, the campaign targets members of the public who may feel reticent about purchasing a smart meter by clearly laying out all the benefits that having one fitted can bring.
“With Britain’s future energy security now a part of the national conversation, it’s a great opportunity for Einstein to highlight the role that smart meters could play in helping the country be more self-sufficient in energy,” Smart Energy GB director of marketing, Chris Taggart said.
“With his trademark good humour, Einstein is the perfect person to help explain this complicated but powerful potential future benefit.”
Giffgaff – Prices that won’t change, for a change
Low-cost network provider Giffgaff launched a bold new campaign which will see it freeze its UK prices until the end of 2023 in the hopes of providing some much-needed stability to its customers.
Created by independent agency Neverland, the omnichannel campaign is spearheaded by a playful 30-second spot which predicts what life might be like in a year’s time.
With much having changed, one thing will remain constant – Giffgaff’s price-freeze promise – as is indicated by the catchy tagline: “Prices that won’t change, for a change”.
“Our members tell us they’re concerned about rising costs, and the uncertainty of what their bills might look like next year,” Giffgaff chief marketing officer, Sophie Wheater said.
“We wanted to do what we can to help, at a time when people need it most. We’ve always taken a stand on what our members care about most – whether that’s sustainability, loneliness during the pandemic, accessibility, and now, the cost of living.
Shelter – Cost-of-living hacks
Shelter last autumn unveiled a campaign that rejected cost-of-living crisis ‘hacks’ and instead called on the government to make housing more affordable.
The campaign was devised by the charity after a recent report revealed that almost one-in-seven (1.1 million) private renters in England had their rent increased in the last month.
Shelter claims that millions of private tenants are “being stretched to breaking point”, as one in three adults (2.6 million) are spending at least half their household income on rent.
“Every day we’re being bombarded in the news by cost-of-living hacks. But whatever the latest hack is, it’s just a sticking plaster that can’t possibly cure runaway rents that are pushing people into homelessness,” Shelter director of communications, policy and campaigns, Osama Bhutta, said.
“Our campaign shows how these cost-of-living hacks are negligible in the face of the scale of the housing emergency.”
Sainsbury’s – Be a smart cookie
Over the summer Sainsbury’s unveiled a nationwide campaign to help customers battle the cost-of-living crisis through its SmartShop app.
The campaign, created by agency Ogilvy UK, uses light-hearted food-related wordplay to bring to life the ways in which SmartShop can save consumers money.
The supermarket’s app allows customers to shop, scan and checkout autonomously, while the technology tracks purchases to unlock tailored product deals based on historical favourites.
“For a customer to break their deeply engrained shopping habits, even where there’s a compelling reason to, is difficult,” Sainsbury’s brand communications director Radha Davies said.
“Millions of Nectar customers have access to personalised prices at Sainsbury’s, and we wanted them to know about it. Using behaviourally driven insights that focused on the ease of use, the many benefits of SmartShop in conjunction with food focused creative has created impactful and identifiably Sainsbury’s creative.”
