Hill+Knowlton Strategies

As the saying goes, ’Trust is hard to earn and easily lost’. Equally its value is hard to quantify until it is lost (see the impact of GOM on BP’s brand value), which can sometimes make it difficult to invest in.

However, just because something is difficult both to do and then to test, does not mean we shouldn’t do it. As David Prosser notes in The Independent this morning the big six power generators have earned themselves an ignominious reputation, being less trusted than banks at the moment. That should be seen as a problem that needs to be addressed, not as an inconvenient truth.

One of the things that Ofgem has suggested in its reforms is that the big six sell off 20% of their generating capacity to increase competition and this is where the lack of trust could become a serious business issue. Just because customers have shown a reticence to switch in the past does not mean that an organisation who is very effective at communicating with customers and winning their trust will not come along and start to take share from the big six operators in the future. PA Cover Ofgem Announcement

These firms have a plethora of communications and policy issues to overcome at the moment, but a good start would be to simplify customer propositions, provide greater clarity about their operations, explain and educate about complexities of their business and engage in a better dialogue with customers and prospects. The low-carbon energy challenge in particular is one that I think most people would happily be more active in addressing and new-nuclear must now engage with a much wider group of stakeholders than it has until now to avoid the NIMBY reaction of people after the disaster in Japan.

First things first will be some research to test what has impacted trust historically and what influences different stakeholders trust.

I don’t usually travel by tube, but did earlier this week and found myself drawn to the E.ON Talking Energy ad whilst waiting for the westbound train to Shepherd’s Bush:

Talking Energy’s a great little interactive campaign, and nice to see that E.ON is helping to raise public awareness of what it calls the Energy Trilemma – i.e. how to balance security of supply, reduction of carbon emissions, and affordability.

The campaign’s all about encouraging consumers to use less energy, and E.ON hopes that by doing this it will help reduce household bills, engender loyalty and customer support, and ultimately drive long-term profit.

If you’re interested in this sort of thing take a look at the 2010 Energy Brief published by our client Doosan Power Systems earlier in the year (notably before the general election).  The brief reviewed the UK’s energy challenges, and looked forward to big issues and opportunities for future energy policy in the months and years ahead.