In 2025, 5 million Australian households are using natural gas. But these homes must be decarbonised if Australia is to meet its legislated commitment to net zero by 2050.

That’s why state and national governments are investing billions to support the transition away from fossil fuels. Increasingly, they are also setting end dates for gas use.

Electrification is occurring at pace in Australia as homeowners and small businesses look to reduce costs and climate impacts by installing solar, batteries and energy efficient appliances – usually as part of a multi-year journey as budget allows.

A rapidly growing market can attract shonky operators looking for a quick buck, so consumers want to be sure tradespeople are licensed and have the right skills for the job.

To safely meet escalating demand for licensed electricians with appropriate skills for installing energy efficient technology, the Victorian Government funded the Centre for U, with Future Energy Skills, to develop new courses and ensure industry and consumer awareness with a skills campaign.

Ellis Jones worked with the team at Future Energy Skills (informed by Solar Victoria and Energy Safe Victoria) to assess electrician and consumer awareness of electrification themes and demand for information online.

The work comprised:

• Campaign strategy with a focused logic to raise awareness and engagement among electrical business owners, electricians and consumers.
• A creative concept including campaign visual identity and key messaging.
• Website and social media content for Centre for U, the ETU and Future Energy Skills as well as partners
• Video content for YouTube and cut downs for socials
• Evaluation reporting

With challenges recruiting electricians for the video shoot, the team pivoted to an innovative approach of using animated characters over real-life footage of a suburban home. In fact, our GM’s sister’s house! This enabled creation of a memorable character, Mick, with broad appeal, who could ‘walk through’ the home pointing to appliances and discussing options with his electrician (and trying not to electrocute the cat).

Search and YouTube advertising targeted aligned interests such as technology and sustainability, but also ‘piggy backed’ surging and highly related search volumes after the launch of the Australian Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program. The logic: if you are installing a battery, you’ll need a skilled electrician.

A stakeholder pack was provided to regulators, industry stakeholders and consumer advocates, supplying them with fun and friendly visual content ready for use in eDMs and socials – thereby boosting campaign reach and credibility.

The campaign was highly effective, exceeding all targets:

• YouTube engaged 190,108 unique viewers, with 340,643 impressions at just $5.39 CPM.
• 2,043 total clicks drove highly qualified traffic, achieving a 20.4% increase compared to the previous period.
• Stakeholder responses were positive, strengthening strategic relationships.
• Over 20,000 electricians were reached through ETU and stakeholder channels.

Join the Electrification Revolution with Mick.

Visit the destination website and watch the video.

Talk to us about a skills campaign.