As we approach CHARGE Europe (14-15 October), we’ve been asking our top speakers and partners to share their ideas and takeaways to power other energy brands. In this article, we speak to Katja Metz, Team lead Global Marketing Campaigns for E.ON
Can you start by sharing a bit about E.ON and your new brand strategy.
E.ON has gone through a massive transformation over the past years, from a fossil fuels energy business to energy infrastructure and solutions retailer.
Unlike traditional energy companies that are pure energy producers – who rely on fossil fuels-, E.ON focuses on sustainability and transforming energy infrastructure. We lead in smart grid technologies and energy storage solutions, improving grid reliability and integrating more renewable energy sources to ensure cleaner energy gets to where it is needed. E.ON’s extensive grid infrastructure with advanced customer solutions: Energy Infrastructure (EIS) and Energy Retail, uniquely positions us to drive real change in the energy market.
Society expects governments and energy companies to act now. But few of the ones deemed responsible for taking ownership of the energy transition are living up to expectations. The difference with E.ON is we are acting now — instead of making promises. With our new “Playmaker” position we want to show that E.ON is the Playmaker of European energy transition, who bravely pushes the industry´s boundaries, drives digital innovation and sustainably powers what’s next. Because only E.ON has the infrastructure, solutions and expertise to shape the future of energy for all.
How did your team build a business case for brand investment?
In 2023, the board initiated a pivotal shift to elevate our brand’s presence in the market.
Traditionally, less emphasis has been placed on leveraging brand and marketing for value creation.
Although E.ON enjoys strong brand recognition, there is a clear opportunity to elevate awareness of our new energy solutions, our leadership perception in the energy transition, and to improve brand consideration.
Along the process we onboarded the top management from the beginning, with regular check-ins with the Global Board. We established a collaboration culture within the brand and marketing project, to get the buy-in along the way despite a super tight timeline.
To track our success , key performance measures were identified and are tracked on a regular basis.
What did you say when you were convincing people in your company to take branding/reputation seriously as an investable asset?
It is important to understand that building the Brand is a marathon not a sprint. Brand KPIs are harder to shift, and it takes much longer than sales KPIs. The Head Office is responsible for the brand, the countries are responsible for sales – with a different set of KPIs that need to be aligned. Brand image is crucial for business sales success because it shapes how customers perceive a company, its products, and services. A strong brand image builds trust, differentiates the business from competitors, and creates customer loyalty, which ultimately drives sales. Marketing efforts are essential to consistently communicate and reinforce this brand image, ensuring it remains relevant and appealing. Investing in a strong brand allows companies to create emotional connections with customers, fostering long-term relationships that lead to repeat business and referrals, while also commanding premium pricing and greater market share.
How much emphasis do you place on emotion versus rationality when building an energy brand? Does “feeling” and emotive resonance have a place within brand strategy?
We have to break through the marketing clutter. Consumers are exposed to an excessive amount of brand and ad messages on a daily basis. As an industry with generally low involvement, we compete for attention against chocolate, cars and other more emotional brands. Feeling has a powerful place within brand and communication strategy, as it helps humanise the brand, differentiating it from competitors and creating lasting perception and relationships with customers who share the same values.
When building an energy brand, both emotion and rationality are essential, but emotion plays a surprisingly significant role to get to the hearts and minds of people. While rational messaging—focused on impact, sustainability, and reliability —builds trust and credibility, emotional resonance is what ultimately drives connection and loyalty. Energy is a fundamental part of people’s daily lives, so tapping into it can make the brand more relatable and importantly memorable.
What lessons can you share about simplifying complex concepts/technologies for branding and communications?
We have to shift from an inside out view on technology to an outside in view, especially when showcasing proof points, like we do.
When simplifying complex concepts or technologies for branding and communication, the key lesson is to focus on clarity, relatability, and storytelling. First, break down the idea into its core benefits—what value does it provide to the target audience? Next, use language and metaphors familiar to your audience, avoiding technical jargon that could confuse or alienate them. Finally, weave the concept into a narrative that emotionally connects with people, showing how it impacts their lives or solves a specific problem. Simplicity in communication doesn’t mean oversimplifying; it means making the message accessible while retaining the essence of the technology.
Have a messaging hierarchy where you can break down from an overarching simplified message to fact driven substantiation of your claims. Once you get the audience hooked on a topic, they are looking for facts, to better understand the topic.
How does brand, reputation or storytelling approach differ between B2B and B2C strategies?
With “It´s on us to make new energy work” we have built a communication platform that works for both B2C and B2B. It´s about creating synergies to maximise the budgets and telling one consistent story across all our countries. We need B2B messages also when we talk to a B2C audience as those are the impressive projects, that create impact and have a “wow-factor”. Those projects show: we are advancing and there is already quite a lot being done. No matter if it is a B2C or B2B audience we are talking to, we have to create relevance by creating compelling storytelling around proof points to show what we are doing and what E.ON is about.
What can attendees look forward to hearing from you at CHARGE Europe?
I hope to give some insight into how E.ON is building the brand in an industry that is historically not very brand and marketing focused. I would also like to show that we can craft communication that has emotional aspects and a bit of humour without losing substance and credibility – in an industry which is traditionally very serious.
