Putting power back into consumers' hands

New stresses and economic uncertainty

Now more than ever, stresses surrounding energy bills are high. COVID-19 has introduced an enormous amount of uncertainty into the world, and the economic impacts are only just beginning to be felt. That’s why it’s crucial everyone understands their rights and options when it comes to accessing essential services, and are getting the best deal possible.

In response to public concerns around bills rising, and in anticipation of a challenging economic landscape, the Essential Services Commission tasked Icon Agency with executing the next iteration of the ‘It’s Your Energy’ communications campaign, with a focus on driving action.

Looking out for consumer rights

Established in 2001, the Essential Services Commission (ESC) has one goal: to promote the long-term interests of consumers in Victoria, with respect to essential services such as energy, water and transport. This includes ensuring essential services are reliable and of high quality, that they are affordable and that consumers understand their rights and options in respect to these services.

Icon has been working with ESC since 2019 on the ‘It’s Your Energy’ creative communications campaign, the aim of which has been to inform Victorians of recent changes to energy rights, and encourage them to seek better deals.

The newly vulnerable

A large cohort of our audience were what we would consider ‘newly vulnerable’. These were people who, typically don’t have to worry about energy and water, but the personal, economic or mental strains of COVID-19 have put them in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable position – not knowing if they can pay their bills. We would need to ensure that our communications were understanding of this foreign situation the audience was in, and reassuring them that there was help out there.

We also had to mindful of the message we were conveying. The previous two phases of this campaign had established a solid foundation, raising awareness of rights significantly. This third phase would be focused on driving measurable change, and encouraging consumers to take power into their own hands.

Now more than ever

Building off of the established campaign visual style and assets, we iterated, developing the tagline ‘Now more than ever, It’s Your Energy’. Staying true to the original spirit of the campaign, this positioning encapsulates this phase and its goal: inspiring consumers to understand their rights and take action.

Associated visual collateral was created, the feature being a series of short videos that could be shared in their entirety, or as small, ‘snack size’ pieces. Content was prepared in a variety of languages to be accessible by CALD audiences, and shared through social media, press outlets and over radio, as well as through a digital marketing campaign.