In August, MidAmerican Energy Company debuted a complete rebranding for its corporate, energy efficiency, safety and economic development divisions, all of which share the theme, “Putting the Power in Your Hands.”
More than a year in the making, the process began with Flynn Wright conducting focus group research across MidAmerican Energy’s service territory to discover which images, words and messages describe the company’s strengths that resonate most with its customers.
Based on this preliminary research, Flynn Wright then developed a handful of appropriate and thoughtful themes and taglines. Ultimately it was “Putting the Power in Your Hands” that met all of the criteria established by the research.
To extend the applicability of the line for all of MidAmerican Energy’s divisions, adaptations were developed. “Putting the Power of Energy Efficiency in Your Hands” is one example. When an instructive message isn’t used in print, the line changes to “The Power of Energy Efficiency,” but keeps the distinctive imagery and graphics.
The graphic treatment created for use in all visual media has the word POWER central to all. Flynn Wright also employed color coding used internally by MidAmerican Energy, with a green
POWER used for energy efficiency, yellow for safety, red for corporate, etc. The secondary graphic element is the small, tessellated collage of hands which leads to a main photo illustrating the topic of the particular piece.
The effectiveness of the television message was particularly analyzed prior to production. Animated storyboards, complete with original music and audio tracks, were tested with customers using Vibetrak™. Their comments led to copy and image changes that made the final spots more cogent and engaging. The “Power in Your Hands” campaign speaks to the issue of customer empowerment. And since everything MidAmerican Energy does, from their safety efforts to their service excellence, is done for their customers, it’s only fitting that the new campaign reflects its commitment to the customers they serve.