Solar Power, Humanized

Take a look around the world of solar power advertising and you’ll find yourself bombarded with a confusing mess of technobabble, save-the-planet pleas and stats about ROI and savings. Not surprisingly, none of these messages have bridged the gap to normalcy required to get the mainstream middle on board. Solar companies seem to ignore the communication problems that exist, while living on the hope that the product is too good to be ignored. We have yet to hear the real story told – one that takes solar out of the “fringe” category and places it squarely in the “just plain smart” category. In other words, no one has spoken to us like regular people, displaying a solar solution in a way we can grasp and relate to.

That is, until Sunrun launched its “Let’s be honest” campaign.

Sunrun, a solar financing company that helps homeowners with their home solar installations, just launched a series of TV spots that do a great job of building that bridge to normalcy. After watching the campaign you walk away smiling, carried by a feeling that solar power is for smart, normal people that like to save a buck or two. Of course, every solar power manufacturer and provider delivers messages of savings, but most fail to do what this campaign from Sunrun has done – deliver that message in an entertaining, life-connecting way.

This is one of the better examples I’ve seen of a company having the desire to break from the norm and embrace the truth about their product. When you sell a sustainable product like solar to the mainstream, you can’t get caught up in your own product attributes. To connect to your consumer you must fully understand what will pique their interest and not be afraid to speak to them like human beings. You also have to be willing to support that message financially – because no matter how great your intentions or how entertaining your campaign, your intended target won’t get it if he never sees it.