VERBUND Lowers the Electricity Price for Private Customers* and Starts a New Advertising Campaign

On 1 September 2013, Austria's leading electricity company and one of Europe's largest electricity generators from hydropower, VERBUND, lowered the energy prices of its current H2Ö electricity range for households and agricultural facilities. An average private household which consumes around 3,500 kWh will make savings of around 10%. The offer will be accompanied by a large-scale cross-media advertising campaign with the comedy stars Stermann & Grissemann.

The switch to VERBUND electricity generated from 100% Austrian hydropower is ecologically sensible and financially attractive. VERBUND is the first electricity company to lower the energy prices for private customers and is passing on the lowered wholesale prices. An average private household which consumes around 3,500 kWh will make savings of around 10%. The price-reduction relates to energy prices not including network costs, taxes and duties. The offer is valid for all existing VERBUND customers as well as for new customers.

Savings Potential

The switch to VERBUND is well worth it. There is an average savings potential of €150, calculated according to an average yearly electricity consumption of 3,500 kWh for customers. What's more, with the H2Ö products from VERBUND, private customers can be sure that they are using electricity from 100% Austrian hydropower, as knowing where their electricity comes from is increasingly becoming more important to customers. As a leading hydropower company with more than 100 TÜV certified hydropower plants, VERBUND guarantees environmentally friendly electricity from 100% clean hydropower from Austria to all their private customers.

"Danke, Wasserkraft!" (Thank you hydrower!) Campaign

"Danke, Wasserkraft" is the constant slogan of the new VERBUND advertising campaign. Much adored public figures Stermann & Grissemann have a chat in a relaxed, unstuffy and intelligent manner about very current issues regarding electricity, such as the energy transition and e-mobility, about electricity as an energy source of the future or about how easy it is to switch to the clean electricity provider VERBUND.

"Stermann & Grissemann are cult figures of critical comedy, who are well known in the whole of Austria and in many parts of Germany." Says Beate McGinn, Head of Group Communications at VERBUND. She says "they are often seen in adverts in daily life, which is also an "electric life".

In the new campaign's adverts, current issues concerning the energy transition will be focused on intelligently, for example, while the German Stermann peddles furiously on his exercise bike with the energy transition, Grissemann sits relaxed, sprawled out on a massage chair as he is Austrian and his electricity is generated by hydropower. Electricity from hydropower is therefore the answer and is acknowledged by Stermann and/or Grissemann with a "Danke" (thank you). The campaign was put together by the team of the TBWA advertising agency and will start running on 5 September 2013 on TV, in printed media as well as online.

*related to the clean energy price without network costs, taxes and duties, respectively.