As we approach CHARGE Europe (23-24 October), we’ve been asking our top speakers and partners to reveal their approach to branding in energy. In this article, we speak to Emma Lewis, Senior Strategist and Natasha Bowyer, Insights Strategist at Siegel+Gale
Natasha Bowyer, Insights Strategist at Siegel+Gale
Please can you tell us more about Siegel+Gale and the projects that you are currently working on?
Siegel+Gale is a brand strategy, design and experience firm that aims to help businesses achieve simplicity via unlimited imagination and a dedication to the facts, which is where my team comes in. As an Insights Strategist, I work to unearth intelligence via our range of house research tools, such as Engage™, our proprietary methodology for measuring the level of brand engagement of your employees and its specific impact on your organization.
What are the first 3 ingredients that go into a successful employer branding recipe?
We’re big believers that businesses need to simplify the core strengths of their culture, before amplifying them to build to long-term employee value & success. In order to simplify, explaining the ‘why’ clearly and coherently is critical to engaging and exciting your people. Then, amplifying a compelling, differentiated employee-value proposition and experience that is aligned with your authentic ‘why’ is a robust roadmap to attracting, retaining and empowering top talent.
What are you most looking forward to this year at CHARGE?
As a speaker at Charge 2022 in Iceland, I was struck by the openness of the community to share insight and ideas. I’m looking forward to dialling back into event’s brilliant energy (pun intended), checking back in with some friendly faces, and making some new friends on the way.
Emma Lewis, Senior Strategist at Siegel+Gale
Please can you tell us more about Siegel+Gale and the projects that you are currently working on
Sure, so Siegel+Gale is known as the Simplicity Company – we believe that companies who offer simpler experiences better serve their internal & external audiences—and their bottom line. We employ a suite of services that ultimately help businesses to realise ‘the power of simplicity’. Take our Brand-led Change practice. We have a dedicated team of strategists, consultants and behavioural psychologists who help our clients to deliver on the full potential of their brand by embedding it in the hearts, minds and actions of the entire organization, reducing churn, improving employee acquisition then empowering them on arrival.
What do you think are the main challenges for energy companies regarding employer branding?
Over the last couple of years, factors such as the Great Resignation have put employee retention at the top of the board’s agenda. Energy companies make up a critical part of our international infrastructure, but rightly or wrongly have often been cast as contributors to some of our more pressing societal issues, making candidates think twice, and employees shop around. That’s ironic, as the same companies have the talent, technology and more recently the investment to help solve those issues. I’d challenge energy companies to define their vital ongoing role (we call it purpose), equip their people to take action behind that strategic idea, and then put in place a framework to measure progress, identify opportunities to optimise, and ultimately strengthen their business, culture and brand.
What do you think are the main challenges for energy companies regarding branding and communication?
The role of energy companies in society is increasingly fascinating, especially as our traditional institutions start to waver against their environmental commitments in the face of tightening economic conditions. We believe that energy companies have an incredible opportunity to demonstrate their critical role within this ‘leadership vacuum’ – but the real communications challenge is going to be in reconciling their sizeable legacy business models (and shareholder value), with diversifying their portfolios to a more future-focussed footing.
