Optiwatt
Optiwatt is the largest telematics-based home energy analytics platform in North America. The company’s partnerships with national utilities providers and production consumer facing applications reduce cost and energy usage for home and auto owners. Optiwatt’s technology has attracted investors such as Alphabet’s GV wing, Urban Innovation Fund, Active Impact Investments and Thin Line Capital.
Challenge
An early-stage startup with great technology but limited brand awareness, Optiwatt understood it needed to develop consumer traction in order to attract its next round of investment. The team’s goal was to use marketing to drive awareness and credibility for the company’s app and encourage participation in its smart charging programs across North America.
Strategy
With ambitious goals of targeting the biggest business publications in the world, the account team engaged in a multi-dimensional thought leadership strategy that aimed to secure opportunities across Optiwatt’s multiple verticals of expertise. In parallel, the team targeted company story outreach aimed to broadly educate consumers about the company.
matthew grace, head of growth
“We were very pleased with Branded’s performance launching and gaining press coverage for multiple utility programs on Optiwatt across North America. PR was a primary driver of user acquisition for us during the early portions of a program, and Branded launched TV, radio, and written stories across large and small publications that moved the needle for us, sometimes in dramatic fashion. We also enjoyed national coverage of the Optiwatt brand, and were able to establish ourselves as thought leaders in the energy industry.”
Results
Branded’s strategy saw massive success and included coverage in globally-recognized outlets Newsweek, NerdWallet, Yahoo! Finance the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch. Screen Rant wrote a feature on the company, its offerings and impact on consumer finance and the environment. Axios covered the company’s $7 million Series A.
Impact
$7
million
Series A
8+
pieces of coverage per smart charging pilot
100%
of smart
charging pilots
hit sign-up goal
1+
monthly article
in top-tier
personal
finance outlet
