Copy That: The Power of Words and the Role a Brand’s Personality Plays In Making the Mundane Magnetic

Brady Hartung , Senior Manager of Copywriting

What role does a brand’s personality play in the energy industry??

In short and in my humblest of opinions, a humungous one. Establishing a brand and bringing it to life in a crowded industry is always a unique, yet fun, challenge. So, not to answer a question with a question, but how do we ensure Rhythm always stands out from the crowd?

In short, our brand treats customers like human beings. That might come across in how we communicate by speaking like a human and not a weird AI robot.? That means no overcomplicated, long-winded, technical-jargon-ladened statements. But-quick-to-the-point, digestible communications.?

Like this sentence, for example.?

I’d be lying to myself and you all if I said the people look forward to getting communications—advertisements, emails, text messages—from their electricity provider. Or any company, for that matter. Nobody is ever like, “Oh, great! My cellphone bill is ready for me to view!”??

But, like cellphones, insurance, or water, electricity is a necessity at home. And with that, so is effective communication and establishing a clear, recognizable brand with customers. So, the challenge I give to myself daily is how the heck do I make people excited to hear from or hear about Rhythm??

For me, I always put myself in our customers’ shoes. What would I want to know? And when? And why? As a company, we’ve developed a robust communication strategy to keep people in the know. Stated in a cleverer way: We never want our electricity customers to be left in the dark. That means we’re keeping you informed on your bills, your usage, and helping you understand the “why” behind...everything. Not too much, but just enough.??

Because, again, nobody loves seeing the word “bill” on an email. Maybe if we called it a “william,” but that’s for a different day.?

How do you make the Rhythm brand stand out from a saturated industry??

Honestly, I think the world would be a better place if people tried to have fun with everything they do. Fun-ness is infectious. So, my philosophy is to have fun when I write things and make the brand ultra-relatable, because people will—I hope—enjoy reading, watching, or hearing what we have to say.??

It sounds simple. But it’s the truth. The electricity industry is not only heavily-populated in Texas, but it can, at times, be dull and stagnant. My goal is for the Rhythm brand to stand out in a clever, loud-enough way that when people read or hear anything, they’ll nod and say, “Yep. That’s Rhythm, alright.”??

Our Rhythm brand tone is all about being positive, clear, and refreshingly honest in an industry that oh-so craves it. We bring a transparent, straightforward voice to an industry in need of authenticity, and we’re committed to providing clear, no-nonsense information about our plans and pricing. At the same time, we use wit and a bit of humor to connect with people in a way that’s fun and engaging.?

There’s a lot of nuanced, complex things that go into not only your electricity plan, but how it gets to your home. The challenge is finding the middle ground in communications and copy as to not overwhelm but also keep informed.??

It takes a lot of energy to perfect it, but it’s worth it.???

How do you ensure transparency when communicating with customers??

Transparency is one of the pillars that makes Rhythm so unique, in my humblest of opinions. Truly. We are proud of how informed we keep customers. While other companies like to strive for the “asleep-at-the-wheel" customers who just methodically pay their bills, that’s not how we conduct business.??

For example, when your fixed price contract is coming up for expiration, we don’t just hope you forget and automatically roll you onto a more expensive month-to-month variable rate plan like other companies like to do one. We, you guessed it, COMMUNICATE with you months before (on top of what is legally required), ensuring you have everything you need to know to make the brightest choice for your home and your budget.???

From the web experience to the plans themselves and the communications that come along with them, we are 100% transparent in every word we communicate. Let me give you an example. Our flagship plan, PowerShift, incentivizes you to shift your power (clever name, right?) to the up to 20 hours a day when electricity is super cheap.??

What’s one thing you didn’t notice? That’s right, we proudly don’t offer anything free. Nor do any other companies, if you take a closer look. When it’s not free, it’s super expensive.??

So, aside from being—hopefully—a fun, relatable brand, we hope you associate “Transparently and proudly not free” each time you see Rhythm.??

Because not being transparent? Bad vibes. Bad energy.?