Amid a taut price-driven climate, where bill hikes are front-of-mind for Victorians, how do we reframe solar energy as the cheaper choice? Especially when, historically, renewable energy has been perceived as inaccessible and expensive? This was Solar Victoria’s challenge.

Approaching us, Solar Victoria was seeking support in shifting public perceptions of solar energy, to one that is affordable and reliable for all Victorians. Through this repositioning, Solar Victoria wanted to increase uptake of its rebate programs that help Victorians save across solar panels, batteries, hot water systems and electric vehicles. This includes ensuring Solar Victoria is recognised as a trustworthy and reliable source of information about solar energy.

To market solar energy – and Solar Victoria’s rebate programs – to a confused and cost-conscious audience, we developed an integrated marketing campaign that elucidates the narrative around solar, repositioning it as the cheaper choice. The choice that lowers your bills.

We achieved this through emphasising solar’s affordability in the campaign’s tagline: ‘Switch to solar. It’s that simple.’ This worked to directly alleviate consumer anxiety about rising bills, providing education and enabling a sense of control for the consumer. This was further solidified through the supporting message of ‘Victoria, the power is yours.’

The focal of the campaign was a TV commercial, which ran across all major Australian networks. Shot in a quaint Yarraville home, the commercial humanised the switch to solar by sharing the process from the vantage of a young woman who is showing her parents how to claim a Solar Victoria rebate. By placing the consumer in the story, the change feels more approachable and relatable. We see ourselves, and our parents or child, reflecting back to us. Simplicity is also conveyed by portraying the switch to solar as an easy step-by-step process, rather than an intimidating, complicated task.

In addition to the TV commercials, the campaign also included:

• Radio
• Social media
• Digital advertising
• Paid search (Google Ads)
• Print ads
• Out of home (outdoor) advertising

Our research team also completed the advertising campaign evaluation, assessing the success of the campaign.

From conducting an online survey of 413 respondents from various age groups and locations across Victoria, we know that the commercial performed exceptionally well, demonstrating a recall well above market average.

The survey found that:

• 71% of respondents are aware that the Victoria Government offers solar rebates to households, rental properties and businesses
• 21% of respondents aged 35-44 years are aware of Solar Victoria’s solar rebate program
• 31% of respondents aged 25-34 years recalled seeing the advertisement, with all other age groups demonstrating an approximately 15% recall
• 29% of respondents recalled seeing advertising within the past two months encouraging them to switch to using solar
• Of those that recalled seeing advertising, when prompted, 42% identified Solar Victoria as the organisation advertising
• Recall of television advertising was most prominent with respondents aged 50-64 years (29%), while social media recall was most prominent with respondents aged 25-34 years (42%)
• 44% of respondents took some action after seeing the advertising campaign – with seeking more information about solar rebates on Solar Victoria’s website being the most common outcome
• 52% of respondents plan to install rooftop solar on their property. Of those, 53% intend to install rooftop solar within the next 12 months.