Your Eco-Friendly Attitude Impacts Powershop's Story

Social distancing is meant to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 and lower the cases of infected people. But seen from another perspective, social isolation leads to an increase. To be more specific, to an increase in energy consumption. If you think about it, it kind of makes sense: As we stay home, we end up consuming more power. Powershop, Australia’s greenest power company that powers up to 160,000 homes and businesses across Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and South East Queensland, has come up with an ingenious concept that might lower the numbers and, therefore, make people live a more sustainable life.

Conceived and developed by whiteGREY, Powershop’s lead strategic, creative, and digital agency, the initiative is available under the form of an interactive kids’ book. The publication carries the name “Pond Party” and features a character called Goldie (a climate-vulnerable Green and Golden Bell Frog). The story opens with Goldie trying to invite its friends to a party, the Pond Party. By “sending” invitations, catching party food, decorating, and making party music, the frog, along with her buddies, learns more about the impact of climate on species and ecosystems. It also receives valuable tips on home energy usage.

Let’s say that this is the first chapter of the story. The second one unfolds the next day. By returning to the experience, users are asked how their energy usage changed. Did it improved, stay the same, or did it increase? If the energy consumption had improved, so does the story. If not, the book becomes a bit less fun.

Michelle Grigg, Marketing Manager, Powershop, said: “Pond Party is a fun way for families to talk about climate change and the steps they can take to lessen their impact on the environment. Whilst we’re dealing with the ongoing effects of the bushfires and now COVID-19, a digital book specifically designed to be read at home, is an educational and entertaining tool for both customers and non-customers alike.”

Juan Garcia, National Head of Technology, whiteGREY, added: “I’m proud that we have been able to create a digital experience that will help change behavior. Using modern tech and an interactive approach to the narrative, we feel that we’ve built something that is as engaging as it is smart. By working together with Powershop’s team to develop a service layer that allows account usage and attributes to be extracted and interpreted for external use, it opens new ground for an energy provider to make meaningful use of its data.”

Joe Hill & Garret Fitzgerald, Executive Creative Directors, whiteGREY, concluded: “By combining live data and storytelling, Pond Party connects households to the challenges of climate change in a constructive, inspiring way – empowering families to take climate action by making small changes to their daily lives.”

Both the agency and the client hope that the book will help people shape a more sustainable way of living. Actually, this is Powershop’s mission: To serve as an entity that can change consumers’ behavior into a more positive and eco-friendly one. The story addresses not only the company’s clients but also other Australian families who want to learn more about how they can do their part in shaping a better future for nature.