E-FWD Thinking
2 minutes
Defining a new space.
How Fifth Ring built a brand from nothing, and handed DC Thomson the keys to a market that didn't previously exist.
An ambitious idea with no model to follow.
DC Thomson, publisher of Energy Voice, had identified an opportunity to go beyond quality energy journalism: to create a genuine focal point for the North Sea energy transition community. The audience was defined: C-suite executives, politicians and investors. The kind of people who shape the transition, not just report on it.
Their first instinct was a premium tier of the existing Energy Voice subscription. Fifth Ring's recommendation was more ambitious: build an entirely new brand, entirely separate from Energy Voice, with its own identity, product mix and positioning. A unique combination of publication, subscription, content and community event, with no existing model to reference, and no comparable offer in the market.
The challenge was to define a space that didn't exist yet, then fill it with exactly the right people.
When the client saw "E-FWD," it was a light bulb moment.
Numerous workshops unearthed key findings and market analysis developed key messaging with target audiences. Here, exclusivity and curation were key. Our recommendation: a unique combination of publication, subscription, content and community events, entirely separate from Energy Voice with a unique brand identity. One with the potential to transform the conversation around the energy transition and accelerate the pace of change.
We knew the brand had to be impactful, serious and credible. Exclusivity and curation were key. We developed the brand from scratch, devising a name that would resonate. Bold typography. An instantly gettable icon to drive home the message of a faster transition while landing nicely on social. Fresh colourways with colour transitions from blues to greens brought a fresh approach to the energy space. Once the client saw “E-FWD” it was, as they described, a light bulb moment.
The real challenge came in articulating its advantages. Blending publication, content and community events, this was a new concept and there was no model to follow. It was crucial that our messaging was understood and converting.
Activation-wise, initial work posed interesting questions to provoke thought. Powerful lines established the brand’s intelligent, pragmatic and grown-up tone of voice.
Then we hit home with more tactical sign-up activity. We experimented with multiple versions of every CTA and image to optimise what landed and what didn’t for such a new and unusual offer.
Not just targets met. A membership structure reinvented.
The results were excellent. The launch of E-FWD went beyond creating awareness and generating debate. We didn’t meet targets. We greatly exceeded them. High calibre membership subscriptions were so high, that the client completely reinvented their membership structure to cope. Generating revenue that surpassed its expectations.
The events were attended by some of the most senior and influential energy transition stakeholders in the UK: major energy company CEOs, bank leadership, union heads, politicians and even the UK ex-prime minister Gordon Brown.
