From good to branded: Using immersive design to deliver a positive brand experience for British Gas

Abstract

Brand perception can mean everything for a service company. Some of the supposedly most simple touchpoints (eg) application forms, order forms, customer billing, etc can actually have the greatest impact on brand perception. For instance, energy bills have long been perceived as a complicated and an unwelcome arrival on one's doorstep, with energy companies in general having a poor reputation when it comes to ‘being on the customer's side’. British Gas, which provides gas and electricity to 10 million households in the UK, recognised a brand perception problem. In early 2011, its managing director customers Phil Bentley, promised, that the company would become more simple, transparent and fair. A new bill, along with a new charging structure, was to be one of the important steps in keeping this promise. Lippincott worked with British Gas to transform the bill from a demand for money to a useful source of information that helps customers save money. This co-authored paper from Lippincott and British Gas, focuses on the principles of immersive design and discusses the case study in depth to provide readers insights into how to transform mundane touchpoints into a positive brand experience.