I created the unique messaging for challenger brand Rebel Energy.
In a short space of time, Rebel Energy entered the energy market and transformed it. How? It talked clearly. It ignored convention (like, for example, someone would answer the phone if you called with a problem). And it embraced digital innovation, way ahead of the industry.
Some of what Rebel did is now standard in the market. Other elements are still innovative.
I created the brand’s unique and highly impactful messaging, working closely with its two founders. This was: the brand, the web, the marketing.
“From the outset Michael effortlessly captured the intent of our brand and, coupled with a clear understanding of the strategic needs of our business, finessed this into a prosaic style which enabled us to stand out far beyond our competitors or indeed any predecessor in our sector. Thanks to the voice that he created we quickly amassed followers, attracted additional investment and became the most talked-about challenger brand in the market.”
Penelope Hope, Rebel Energy CCO
The brand
I developed Rebel’s brand voice and key messaging. The founders understood their brand deeply and I worked closely with them to bring this out in strong and dynamic language that cut through.
My work included: the brand slogan (Counting Everyone In), Rebel’s Tone of Voice guide, innovative employee contracts, and a contribution to brand identity guidelines. I also worked extensively with the brand’s offsetting arm, Rebel Restoration, to contribute to strategy and messaging.
One of the key pieces of work was Rebel’s slogan: ‘Counting Everyone In’. This captures the inclusivity, the activeness, the sense of a movement. It also chimes nicely with other ‘everyman’ brand slogans, like Tesco’s ‘Every Little Helps’.
We studied other players in the market very closely, and continually asked ourselves why certain conventions were followed. Our attitude was: why not?
The marketing
I developed a marketing strategy with the CCO that would introduce Rebel to the industry and the world. I wrote a TV ad, blogs, social media, and more. The strategy was highly successful, and we got a lot of attention - a remarkable amount of attention for a brand of that size.
The web
The Rebel website included a homepage which was designed to introduce the brand and direct customers to the quote journey. I also developed a page explaining the brand’s mission on fuel poverty, another accounting for its green energy, and another that introduced its offsetting arm Rebel Restoration.
The website was developed with the founders, designers, key staff members, and a UX agency.
Its user journey included the market’s first one-step quote journey based on an address’s historic energy usage. he Rebel website had a lot of work to do: introduce the brand, convey the key messages, direct users to get a quote. I worked with the founders, key staff members, and a UX agency to help develop the messaging across the brand’s web presence.
We were also the first brand in the market to do a one-step quote journey based on the address’s historic energy usage.
