Brand launch: Our journey to get here

In a series of ‘Brand launch’ blog posts, we’ll be talking to the change in identity and proposition we’ve made in more detail. Revealing the process we went through behind the scenes, and exploring what the change means for us now, after the excitement of the launch, when ‘business as usual’ activities resume.

The initiative to rebrand SmartestEnergy stemmed from us taking the time to step-back and consider how far we’ve come since the company started out as an offtaker of renewable generation in 2001. And where, with the energy landscape evolving, we see ourselves in the future. We engaged our global teams around a new vision and purpose, then set to work evaluating our current proposition and how it could evolve to represent us as we aim to scale our operations and address net zero globally in markets all at different stages of transition.  

The vision and purpose we landed on are ambitious and aim to inspire our employees, customers and partners to seek a better future for all as we transition to a clean energy future:

Our Vision:   To lead the way to a 100% renewable energy system that delivers a better future for all.  

Our Purpose:   To empower, educate and enable everyone to make better, greener energy choices and transition to net zero.  

Our vision will be used to guide our decisions as a company, and keep us moving in the right direction, with momentum. Meanwhile, our purpose conveys where our efforts and energy get directed; what we turn on our laptops on in the morning to achieve. We’ve always been people-powered – and ‘asset light’ – putting customers at the heart of our decision making. This refined purpose will help ensure we retain the human touch we are known for, with a clear focus on supporting our customers with their sustainability goals.   

Moving onto identity  

It was clear we had to rebrand and change our visual identity after we’d landed on the above vision and purpose, and along with it, a new band voice. We considered if we could iterate our existing logo and style guide, and if not, how much we would change.   

It turns out, everything was up for change. This new us, had to feel like us and pass the test of resonating with all Group Companies, charting a clear course and aligning with our strategy.   

Robert Groves, CEO, had a great way of explaining the need for change, reflecting our original branding in our ‘Making the switch’ film.  

“The original brand, the original platform, the original product positioning, were all almost analogue.”  

We wanted to go on to create something that came to life, especially considering the digital channels and tools that we use to communicate today – so we explored a logo with movement and a unique audio sting, supergraphics, fonts, imagery and iconography to energize our people-powered energy company.  

Behind the scenes 

Watch our ‘Making the switch’ film to get a feel for the journey we went on with our brand agency, Emperor. In this joint creation, you’ll hear how Emperor worked with us and constructively challenged us, as we set out to speak authentically about ourselves, and what we’re about. Ultimately, landing on our ‘switch’ concept, representing the ever-evolving journey we’re on alongside our customers, as we strive to drive positive change in the energy system.