In the early 2010s, companies like Everlane and Warby Parker paved the way for the first generation of Direct to Consumer (D2C) brands, offering consumers a fully digital brand experience and new companies a relatively easy, innovative and scalable way to sell products and services. A storefront was not necessary, but a strong brand story was. A brick and mortar storefront was no longer an operational requirement for brands - all you needed was an online shop and a creative social media presence.
The “It” Factor: What Successful D2C Companies Can Teach Brands in 2020
Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Customer Engagement, customer experience, innovation, customer centric, B Corporation, Shopping Experience, climate change, brand value, sustainability, EnergyWire, D2C, customer trends, brand building, coronavirus
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: you can have a wonderful, purpose-driven mission and a marketing campaign that is creative and perfectly targeted, but if your customer’s experience is lacking everything else is diminished.
Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Customer Engagement, customer experience, customer centric, marketing, marketing solutions, content marketing strategy, thought leadership, customer trends, coronavirus
Understanding Customers' Digital Experience: Four Tools We Love
We’ve talked previously about how customer expectations and demands are rapidly changing—customers expect a modern and easy-to-use experience when they interact with energy providers’ digital products and services. We know that keeping up with evolving customer expectations and technology trends can be difficult and overwhelming. Oftentimes, it’s hard to know where to start.
Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Customer Engagement, customer experience, customer motivations, utilities, utility communications, customer centric, marketing solutions, EnergyWire, UX
Business as a Force for Good: Our B Corp-Inspired Round Up
Earlier this week, a few KSV staffers were fortunate enough to attend BLD New England, a day-long conference that brought together B Corps from all over the New England region to connect, collaborate and inspire one another to expand the practice of using business as a force for good. In the lead up to this year’s event, we were honored to be able to put together BLD New England’s promotional video.

Topics: customer experience, future of energy, customer centric, B Corporation, round up, climate change, inspiration, brand value, sustainability, corporate responsibility, social responsibility, sustainability marketing, good energy, company culture, EnergyWire
It’s been two years since President Trump announced plans for the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. And while Congress continues to battle it out on how to proceed, utilities across the nation continue to step up and strengthen their commitment to a clean energy future, announcing ambitious goals for carbon reduction. Just last year, Xcel Energy became the first to announce plans to go carbon free by 2050. And the climate commitments keep coming.
Topics: Customer Engagement, customer experience, customer centric, climate change, inspiration, brand value, EnergyWire, Gillette, Disney, National Grid
What Will You Stand For? The Marketing Takeaway from Disney, Gillette and National Grid
Gillette standing alongside the transgender community. Disney standing up to the State of Georgia for its position on abortion. National Grid standing behind our planet, stating clearly, as a utility, its position on global warming.
Topics: Customer Engagement, customer experience, customer centric, climate change, inspiration, brand value, EnergyWire, Gillette, Disney, National Grid
If you find that question hard to answer, you’re not alone. For many energy companies, establishing a distinct personality through social media often seems like a pipe dream, especially when they have enough trouble establishing a regular presence or a consistent content marketing strategy on their social media channels. When tasked with so much else, creating a brand personality via social often feels like the extra sprinkles on a sundae—nice to have, but does it make a difference in the quality of the product?
Topics: Customer Engagement, customer experience, digital transformation, customer centric, energy marketing, utility of the future, social media, social media best practices, social media strategy, Facebook, Instagram, inspiration, brand value, EnergyWire
Customer expectations and demands are rapidly changing—customers expect every interaction they have to be as good as if not better than their most recent experience. When an energy or utility customer pays their bill, for example, they expect the same experience and level of personalization that they had purchasing a new product on Amazon or Target. An experience that is often authentic, intuitive, easy-to-use and mobile.
Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, customer experience, digital transformation, customer centric, EnergyWire, UX
Google Analytics & Strategy: The PB&J of Impactful Marketing
Topics: customer experience, metrics, marketing attribution, data science, marketing solutions, research, energy marketing, utility of the future, 2019, data
Zappos, Starbucks and Ben & Jerry’s are three successful, highly profitable brands that have blended making products with doing good. In fact, they have blended them so thoroughly in their corporate culture that when customers purchase one of their products, they feel better about themselves. When you step back and think about that, you realize you are seeing excellence in marketing.
Topics: customer experience, future of energy, energy efficiency, energy marketing, microgrid, climate change, 2019, brand value, 80x50, battery, energy storage, sustainability, corporate responsibility, philanthropy, social responsibility