Detailed Case Study: IGS Energy

They’ve become strategic thought partners who are as committed to the work and to our success as if it were their own business.

Jen Bowden

VP, Brand & Social Impact, IGS Energy

Whitespace: Let’s go green for good.

Transformed a traditional energy provider into a purpose – driven business focused on building a sustainable energy future for a healthier planet, through the development of a comprehensive strategic and creative re-alignment which resulted in a new target consumer, company name, brand image and identity.

Services:

Competitive Analysis
Consumer Research
Brand Positioning Strategy
Tagline Development
Persona Development
Brand Architecture
Brand Standards
Brand Video
Campaign Development
Broadcast and Outdoor Advertising
Media Planning
Social Strategy and Public Relations
Internal Launch Campaign
Copy Development
Product Naming

Brand Video

Launch Campaign

Out of Home

:15 second TV Spots

Social Launch

Instagram & Facebook

10 days prior to launch we archived ALL the current posts so that our Instagram and FB profiles became a clean slate.

How we got here

About IGS

IGS is an independent, privately held, natural gas and electricity supplier to residential consumers and commercial customers

Founded: 1986
Headquarters: Dublin, Ohio
Employees: 400
Markets: 9 states
Annual revenues: $1B.

IGS also owns and operates a solar division and home warranty business, began operations as Interstate Gas Supply, Inc., a commercial and industrial wholesaler of natural gas, and expanded into natural gas services for end-users in 1992. In 1997, following the deregulation of residential natural gas service, IGS began serving residential customers and expanded further into commercial arenas in 1999.

During this time, IGS acquired Accent Energy and Dynowatt. And most recently Scanna Energy, located in Atlanta, Georgia.

IGS currently markets it’s consumer offer primarily through door-to-door and online sales.

The Problem

Dynamic business lacking differentiation

While IGS is one of the most successful of the independent utility companies in the U.S. its brand is undifferentiated in the marketplace. The IGS value proposition has historically been comprised of two factors:

Choice –alternative to utility monopolies
Low cost perception

Embedded utility monopolies have become cost competitive and attained parity with deregulated independents like IGS through the negotiation of state subsidies for their continued maintenance of lines and equipment which they own, resulting in a weakening IGS’s value proposition wherein:

The average age of IGS customers continues to increase
Other energy providers in non-competitive markets are increasingly pursuing differentiation.

The Solution

In September of 2019, VENN Growth Collective (VENN) initiated a brand positioning strategy which quickly evolved into an ongoing relationship with IGS, encompassing research, strategy formulation and design and execution of an integrated new brand and product launch.

Over the preceding ten months, VENN partnered with the IGS Marketing, Human Resources, Innovation and Executive Leadership teams to launch a new name, positioning, product offer and campaign that communicates that igs energy is on a journey to “go green for good” and :

Serves as a north star for the business including strategic planning, product development, the employee experience, and social responsibility.
Creates a brand that supports IGS’s decision to begin offering 100% green electricity and 100% Carbon Neutral Natural Gas to all new residential consumers, while leveraging new technologies being incubated in IGS Labs
“De-commoditizes” the brand by building a true lifestyle brand.
Creates a “pull strategy” versus a “push strategy”