It may have sounded great in the meeting, but sometimes a campaign just misses the mark. Learn from the mistakes of these suppliers and avoid these marketing fails.
Energy supplier Eon sends customers socks to ‘lower’ heating bills as energy prices soar
With an ongoing energy crisis affecting households across the UK, adding hundreds of pounds to monthly bills and increased financial strain, Eon decided the best way to reassure its customers was to send them out a pair of socks.
The socks from E.ON arrived with the message “”Leaving lighter footprints” & a reference to rising cO2 levels.
Keep in mind, British households face some of the highest energy bills on record this winter because of record high market prices that could drive fuel poverty levels to the highest since records began.
Customers of the supplier were less than pleased with the delivery. With customers on twitter saying: “Eon?! What were you thinking sending socks to customers in light of the huge price raises ahead? Are we a joke to you?”
The firm sent out a message on their twitter: “If you recently received a pair of socks from us, we would like to say we are incredibly sorry for how we have made some people feel. In light of the seriousness of current challenges that many people are facing, this mailing should have been stopped and we are sorry.”
Energy firm SSE tells customers to cuddle pets and do star jumps to keep warm amid energy crisis
Britain’s third-largest energy supplier has apologized to its customers after it was criticized for sending out an email containing advice like “cuddling pets” or doing housework to avoid putting the heating on due to price hikes.
The intent of the email may seem harmless, with it suggesting 10 “simple and cost-effective ways to keep warm this winter”, however some of the advice raised eyebrows, especially considering the climate the energy market is in.
The email included suggestions like having “a cuddle with your pets and loved ones to help stay cosy” and “try cleaning the house”. Other advice includes “challenging the kids to a hula hoop contest”, “doing a few star jumps”, and “keep your oven open after you’ve finished cooking”.
Of course, the reaction from the public was less than impressive, with many mocking the advice. The unhelpful advice from Ovo comes at a time where households in Britain are set to be hit by a rise of more than 50% in energy prices in April when the energy price cap is raised, potentially costing Brits an extra £700 on their energy bills each year. To see a graph of this price hike.
Darren Jones, the MP for Bristol North West and chair of the business select committee had called on Ovo to apologise, saying: “Being told to put on a jumper instead of turning on you’re heating if you can’t afford it, at a time of such difficulty, is plainly offensive.”