E.ON ends acquisition hunt in favour of loyalty marketing

The eight-week push will launch next week as E.ON seeks to differentiate itself by avoiding aggressive customer acquisition.

Anthony Ainsworth, sales and marketing director at the energy supplier, claimed the initiative proves it is ‘not looking to acquire one set of customers with a cheap offer at the expense of our existing customers’.

Ads will inform consumers that they can receive a maximum discount of £40 a year if they comply with certain criteria, such as switching to a ‘best deal for you’ tariff and opening an online account.

Existing customers, of at least 12 months standing, will be eligible to receive a £10 cash ‘reward’, which they will be able to exchange for Tesco Clubcard points.

E.ON will also run a cinema ticket giveaway, which will coincide with it returning to cinema advertising to target family audiences over the Easter holiday.

The company’s focus on loyalty comes as the industry awaits an update from the government concerning proposals revealed last November by energy minister Ed Davey that would limit energy brands’ offering to only four tariffs.

Under the proposals, energy suppliers would be forced to offer a fixed-price, fixed-term option and a standard variable-rate price plan, leaving only two customisable tariffs, based on criteria such as renewable energy.

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk