Based in Buffalo, NY, Gridway Energy was a new, deregulated energy service provider. Their business involves the sale of electricity to residential and commercial customers under long-term fixed-price or variable-priced contracts.

Gridway wanted to build a strong brand and launch the company in Western New York. To do so, they looked to SKM to develop their brand platform and image.

To develop a brand platform and image that would fit Gridway’s brand essence, define their competitive advantages and combat the general distrust of deregulated energy in Western New York.

In looking to build a strong brand and launch their company, Gridway communicated several elements of their desired brand platform.

• Image/personality: Trustworthy, friendly, whimsical, memorable
• Top level messages: Fast, friendly customer service and an honest, fact-based, educational approach to selling
• Desired perception: Easiest to do business with, great people, friendly and intuitive web site, fair prices

With this input, SKM first worked through a creative process to develop a written brand platform overview for Gridway. A strong brand platform is ultimately a YOU statement. “This is what we stand for. And by standing for this, we will offer you services and benefits that are unique and valuable.”

The brand platform that was developed for Gridway was created to establish a selling promise that was most likely to drive business. The tagline of “energy your way” was proposed as it utilized clever (and virtually limitless) plays on the Gridway name to show how their service is personalized and valuable. This position was truly buying electricity your way. Some examples include the following combination of descriptive words and the word “way”: EasyWay—Gridway, SmartWay—Gridway, HonestWay—Gridway and SecureWay—Gridway.

In conjunction with the recommended tagline, SKM also developed sample benefit statements that served as the facts and foundation for their brand messaging.

Shortly after this concept was presented, Gridway approved their brand platform overview and SKM then worked to develop several creative executions that would serve as the brand look and feel for all future Gridway marketing.

The creative direction effectively positioned Gridway in a manner that met the defined parameters of their brand platform. But more importantly, it met Gridway’s expectations for creating an interesting and compelling brand image for their company.