The Ovo energy fallout proves that words still matter

The written word has the power to sink a reputation but it can also reverse fortunes, this is a skill that should be highly regarded by business, writes Caroline Bullock

Turn it up to eleven: many people think they can communicate effectively when they can’t (Getty/iStock)

Someone in the team at Ovo Energy was caught napping when the infamous blog advising people to do star jumps to warm up and cut energy bills slipped through the net. It sparked the derision it deserved, representing the worst side of corporate communication by appearing flippant and out of touch in its underestimation of the customer mood and concerns amid soaring energy bills.

However, if the wider response was incredulity over such a misfire, the greatest surprise for me is how such flare-ups don’t happen more often. While I have no insight into the internal processes that signed off this particular blog, the experience of writing communications for global organisations has taught me how easy it is for muddled messages and clangers to seep into corporate collateral. It’s largely due to the “too many cooks” approach taken to their production.

Decisions about tone and message which are best left in the hands of a content specialist often become a collective concern regardless of people’s specific experience and credentials, and a sort of creativity by committee “free for all” takes place, usually to the detriment of the material.