National Power
1989
To dominate the competition
National Power was created in 1989 when the state-owned monopoly supplier of electricity, the CEGB, was broken into two parts: generators and suppliers. Two new generating businesses were created, National Power and PowerGen. The way that the electricity privatization was structured meant that the two generating businesses had to compete with one another for the same market. Wolff Olins’ task was to help National Power create an identity which would enable a clean break from its past and provide a clear signal of the new and powerful market presence it had become.
Reinforcing the position as leader
Wolff Olins began by developing a market positioning which projected National Power as the UK’s leading energy business. A business that would lead in capacity, experience, expertise and innovation. We worked with National Power’s management to translate the positioning into a mission statement, which was communicated to all staff to help them understand the organisation’s new purpose. We also created an overall visual style for National Power designed to reinforce its leading position.
A major player
National Power very quickly became part of the UK business community. Within six months of the launch it had 30% public awareness. National Power went on to diversify into other energy sectors such as wind power and waste-to-energy, all of which were easily accommodated within the new identity structure. In 2000. In 2000, before de-merging in to separate UK and international businesses, National Power reported business profit up £113 million on the previous year.
