Article at a glance:

Branding electrons

More often than not, electricity retailing is a commodity business trading only on price. Is there another way for electricity retailers to compete? The authors of this piece tested nine electricity brand concepts in the fully deregulated markets of Germany and the United Kingdom, where consumers can choose among providers, as well as in Spain, where households will likely have freedom of choice by 2003.

The take-away

The results show that audiences exist for brand concepts that are not based on price. Those earning the highest consumer ratings—bundled offerings based on services, new technology, or environmental friendliness—could enable energy retailers to transform simple commodity offerings into premium-priced services.