The Independent and E.ON Next partner with Gogglebox’s Marcus and Mica

The Independent and E.ON Next have announced a new partnership designed to encourage families to feel good about reducing their energy consumption and their carbon footprints.

The multi-platform campaign, overseen by Independent Ignite, the publication’s commercial content arm, will feature ex-Gogglebox stars Marcus and Mica offering practical tips for households to cut energy use and help tackle climate change.

With 20% of the UK’s carbon emissions coming from the energy we use at home, the #PowerSwitch campaign will reach a wide audience with the message of how people can make their own meaningful contribution to taking action for climate by reducing their energy use.

The campaign will be rolled out across all The Independent’s channels, including editorial content, Independent TV, and social media. Independent TV will feature an exclusive series with Marcus and Mica shown making simple switches in their home, educating viewers on simple ways they can conserve energy.

The series, produced by Zinc Media/Red Sauce, follows them through a competitive cook-off of the tastiest lower emissions meals, Marcus’s first ever cold shower, and an entirely screen-free family games night, showing how working together as a family on the common goal of reducing their energy use can help bring them closer together.

Editorial content provides insight into easy ways of reducing CO2 emissions, while eCommerce content from Indy Best recommends some of the best energy saving domestic appliances. Meanwhile, video elements across all content aims to inspire viewers to find their own ways to incorporate energy saving into their everyday lives - without a sense of sacrifice. These videos include special episodes of the popular Independent TV series Binge or Bin and Decomplicated.

The campaign was co-ordinated through E.ON’s media agency Starcom and Simon Best at Independent Ignite. Production work was led by Independent Ignite in partnership with Zinc Media Group on the series, which was executive produced by Tom Edwards and Dominic de Terville.

Marcus and Mica, who featured in the #PowerSwitch campaign and previously starred in Gogglebox, said: “We are proud to have been a part of this campaign with E.ON Next– it is important that we all do our bit to help fight climate change and contribute towards making the world more sustainable. It is fair to say that we had great fun coming up with the ideas in the series and trying them out.”

James Cann, head of content at E.ON Next, said: “The E.ON Next #PowerSwitch campaign is a brilliant way of engaging and challenging consumers into re-evaluating their relationship with energy use and to thinking about how to be more sustainable in their everyday lives. This partnership helps communicate E.ON Next's environmental message perfectly, made relatable through the friendly faces of the Gogglebox cast.”

Rob Ramsey, head of TV at Independent Ignite, said: “We are delighted to be working with E.ON Next on Ignite’s biggest campaign yet, which is truly representative of our decades-long commitment to sustainability, and contributes towards our mission to Make Change Happen across our commercial partnerships as well as our editorial.”

Sacha Feldman, partnerships director at Starcom, said: “The Independent have an expert ability in creating 360-campaigns as well as impressive sustainability credentials, so are therefore a great partner for E.ON Next to bring to life the idea of making conserving energy a fun family activity, aiming to bring families closer together without making it feel like a chore or sacrifice.”