Blockbuster went bankrupt in 2010, brought down in part by a business they didn’t even consider a competitor but rather a "very small, niche business." That "small" and "niche" business took less than ten years to disrupt Blockbuster's business model, shift consumer expectations, and eliminate the need for physical infrastructure. And now, that little company, Netflix, is worth an estimated $70B.

Aging business models, ever-shifting consumer expectations, reliant on physical infrastructure...sound familiar to anyone?  

Well, have you heard of Dandelion? They’re just a very small, niche business....that got its start at Google’s Alphabet...

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

What do the boogieman and energy marketing have in common?

The unknown. 

Uncertainty about what lurks (or doesn’t lurk) around every corner (or under every bed) is the reason that young children run to their parents’ room at 1:00am.

It’s why moms and dads crawl under beds with flashlights to prove there are no such things as monsters.

The same uncertainty that creates a fear of monsters in children can also affect decision makers at businesses large and small.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Just this week, Volvo became the world's first major automaker committing to an all "electrified" lineup of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles. 

 

When? Beginning with models introduced in 2019. Just 18 short months from now. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Jell-O and energy marketing.

What can we, as energy marketers, learn from this infamous dessert?

You may have heard this story before.

But we thought the best stories deserve retelling and that reminding ourselves of the virtues of great content marketing would be a sweet way to kickoff the holiday weekend.

So here it goes:

At the turn of the 20^th century, a little product named Jell-O was launched. And despite a marketing campaign that touted all the product’s attributes (something we see often in energy product marketing): “No cook-book necessary!”, “No baking!”, “Simply add boiling water!” the new product never achieved anything above lackluster sales.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Last week we wrote about a small player making a big break that got some attention.

This week we're focused on some names you might be slightly more familiar with.

When Amazon announced that it would acquire Whole Foods last week, the business world snapped to attention.

Both Whole Foods' and Amazon's stock prices went up.

But what does the e-commerce giant that has totally changed the way we shop mean for an industry that has been relatively the same for years?

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

What will reinvent the energy industry?

Uber is a taxi company with no vehicles.

Airbnb is a hotel company with no properties.

Amazon is a retailer with no stores.

So who is the Uber of energy? 

Well, have you heard of Drift?

An energy service company made up of former Google, Amazon and Microsoft engineers looking to reimagine the way we get our electricity.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Ever thought a breakfast cereal could influence your perspective on marketing? 

Neither did we...until now.

Two years ago, Lucky Charms did a sweepstakes for 100 boxes filled solely with marshmallows (no oats). And the customer response was overwhelming. They wanted more marshmallows. So much so that Lucky Charms just announced a new sweepstakes for 10,000 boxes. 

At KSV, this got us thinking­–we should all be asking the question: “What’s my brand’s marshmallow?”

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

FoMO, or "fear of missing out" is defined as the apprehension or anxiety that one is not "in the know". Originally developed as a term that was applied to young people and their frantic grip on their cell phones and mindless scrolling through Facebook, we now see it in all ages.

 

It can cause depression, apathy, and a general dissatisfaction with all things in life, even the things that used to make you happy.

 

And, we're here to hypothesize, that there is a professional application to this.

 

We also want to talk about Mississippi John Hurt.

 

Hang on, this is going to be good.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

Since the beginning of the campaign trail Trump has been talking about pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement.

After November 8, and the election Donald Trump, over 100 US companies penned a letter to the now president urging him to keep the US in the Paris Agreement.

They believe climate change is real. Along with the rest of the world.

Unlike his predecessor, Trump is choosing to ignore that.

Here’s why this could be a good thing.

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation

If water was dripping into your bedroom one night when it rained you'd probably get a bucket to capture the water. But eventually, maybe the next day  or the day after that you'd deal with the root cause of the issue: the leak.  

A few weeks ago, at AESP KSV got invited to join a session with utility decision makers, and we were asked (along with a couple of other smart agencies) to talk about the challenges and opportunities when utilities partner with outside agencies. 

One theme that came up is that so often marketing is leveraged to solve customer satisfaction issues when the root cause of the issue is process driven or operational. 

Topics: Customer-Centric Marketing, Utility Communications, Data and Analytics, Digital Transformation and User Experience, Innovation, Marketing Strategy and Best Practices, Audience Segmentation