Northeast Utilities
Establishing a corporate value proposition to enhance reputation and performance
The Situation
Northeast Utilities was New England’s largest supplier of energy, yet it had no customers. All of its generation, transmission, and delivery services were branded through local operating businesses: Connecticut Light & Power, Public Service of New Hampshire, Western Massachusetts Electric Company, and Yankee Gas. Therefore, the corporate NU brand had little awareness or brand relevance other than to investors and regulatory authorities. Any ‘brand equity’ that was purely performance-based, lacking any level of emotional attachment.
The Approach | Corporate Campaign
The goal of the corporate campaign was to position NU clearly and rapidly in the center of the energy category. By placing NU squarely into a relevant word, it answered the customers’ most frequent questions, which were, “Who are you? What do you do? And what do you do for me?” The words selected for inclusion also corresponded to the emerging emotional platform being created.
The Outcome
At launch, Northeast Utilities announced a merger with NSTAR and formed a new regional energy company, now branded Eversource. Strategic positioning and new brand equities remained intact under a new corporate umbrella.