Scottish & Southern Energy

 

The UK’s leading sustainable energy provider, Scottish & Southern, first saw the magic of b-spokes rickshaws in action at the Hydro Connect Music Festival in Argyll.

 

‘People tend to light up when they see them,’ says Nicky Madill, the company’s marketing executive. ‘Rickshaws are quirky-looking things - people want their photo taken! And the riders are a great bunch of guys - they like getting the banter going.’

 

Scottish & Southern sponsored a fleet of rickshaws to offer festival goers free rides through the spectacular grounds of Inverary Castle – but at first, people were unsure, explains Nicky. ‘They kept asking what it cost! But once they got the idea, they used the rickshaws to lug all their gear to the campsite.’

 

Scottish & Southern already had a strong street presence on buses, taxis, TV and billboards. But when they saw the popularity of the rickshaws, they adopted them for their national campaign. ‘They look amazing, and they really have the ‘talkability’ factor. We get feedback from people who’ve been up to Edinburgh and seen them on the streets’.

 

Nicky also sees the rickshaws as an ideal fit for the company’s ethos. ‘We’re a green brand, with a strong commitment to sustainability, so rickshaws are a great vehicle for our message. We’ve used slogans such as ‘hop on and save your energy’ in Edinburgh, and special music-themed branding for festivals’.

 

The marketing team make good use of the liveries’ flexibility. ‘The covers have interchangeable panels, so we can update the message when we want’, explains Nicky. The sides, rear, interior and roof panels can be changed, and even the wheel hubs are decorated with the company ‘swish’. Inside panels are used to promote green energy products such as the ‘better plan’ tariff.

 

‘We coordinate the creatives here, and they just fire a pdf straight to Joe at b-spokes. He liaises with the printer, and also keeps an eye on the fleet to let us know when the panels need renewing’.

 

Scottish & Southern sponsor b-spokes rickshaws as a familiar sight in the Edinburgh streetscape for 11 months of the year.