Eon confirms Powergen rebrand

Eon finally lays to rest its Powergen brand on December 3, the utility provider has announced this morning amid a fanfare of publicity. The rebrand has been accompanied by a raft of green product launches.

News of a repositioning from Powergen to Eon broke in late 2005 and the German utility company had been expected to scrap the UK Powergen brand earlier this year. It has used Eon’s sponsorship of the FA Cup to highlight the parent company brand prior to the changeover.

Its rebrand has been a turbulent experience for the company. Chief marketer Paul Parmenter quit the business soon after news of the rebrand emerged, then it parted company with ad agency RKCR/Y&R after disagreement over strategy, handing the £10m brief to TBWA/London.

The company is currently reviewing its internal advertising and media personnel as it looks to consolidate responsibilities (MW September 27). Earlier this year an internal report leaked to Marketing Week showed that marketing staff were criticised for poor performance (MW June 28).

Eon has also found itself at the mercy of rival npower over the past year, as the challenger brand seeks to negate any Powergen/Eon brand equity. It has rolled out advertising that has similar overtones to executions for the Eon brand.