In Sweden, uninterrupted access to electricity is largely taken for granted, which means that E.ON’s work and value often go unnoticed. The attention the company receives is mainly linked to high electricity prices, which affects trust and, ultimately, the brand. E.ON needed to increase awareness of the importance of energy and its own role in providing it, to strengthen brand liking and brand health.

To make people realise the importance of energy, we removed it. The Ad Break simulated a large-scale power outage across multiple media channels, using silence, darkness and emptiness as the message. By taking away what is normally always there, the campaign made dependence on a reliable energy supply visible.

7 in 10 could recall the main message, indicating strong communication effects. Brand Liking was 100% higher among those exposed to the campaign vs those not exposed, with 38% vs 19%. E.ON’s YouGov Brand Index also increased by +53%, rising from 4.9 to 7.5, showing a clear improvement in overall brand health, including impression, quality, consideration and purchase intent.