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New ad by energy supplier OVO is only served when the power grid is greenest

British energy company OVO recently introduced Power Move, which rewards customers for reducing their peak-time electricity use. Now, OVO has launched a marketing push to match: a digital out-of-home campaign that's only displayed when greener energy sources power the UK's national grid. 

Programmatic buying technology developed by Goodstuff and Assembly employs real-time data from the national grid to purchase space and display the ad only when the grid is supplied by a higher percentage of renewables. This allows the campaign to align with its core sustainability message by reducing its own carbon footprint. And it's not just a one-off exercise. Roy Shepherd, Goodstuff's Head of Out-Of-Home UK and International, said: "We are working with the OVO team to move towards greener trading in general. Following this campaign, we will continue to apply this data as a long-term strategy to serve OVO ads in greener moments."

The campaign rolled out on 21 September 2023 and is visible on over 2,600 screens, ranging from digital displays in shopping malls to large roadside and railside formats. 

Trend Bite

OVO isn't just lowering its marketing-related emissions by displaying ads when cleaner electricity is available, plus advertising its new service in the most fitting way possible. It's also broadcasting a signal about fluctuations in degrees of sustainability when it comes to energy use, planting seeds of awareness in people while they're going about their daily lives. Other brands: how could you help build consciousness in a similarly low-key way? Or, get explicit! OVO could use the real-time grid data to encourage people to act: "Hurry home and run a laundry — greener and cheaper power available for the next 3 hours!"