Brand building through crisis: Reframing challenge as opportunity

They say crisis wakes you up.

For energy businesses and brand leaders, recent years have certainly been startling. Geopolitical tensions, security challenges, and exposing climate changing imperatives have contributed to an environment of crisis and urgency — one where it feels difficult to operate or communicate with confidence.

Times of crisis, however, can serve as catalysts for action. Truly innovative communicators are adept at reframing challenge into opportunity during times of instability — shifting their focus, finding ways to engage in a relevant and meaningful way, and elevating their organization’s role in society to create positive impact.

So, how are leading CMOs ensuring their energy brand builds critical connections during times of crisis?

For our most recent Energy Voices conversation, we explored the topic with brand leaders William Brent, CMO at HUSK Power Systems, and Diana Berman, Head of Communications at DTEK Grids. Both have guided their organizations to transcend a traditional role as an “energy company” during times of challenge — raising their ambition, building their reputation, and doubling down on meaningful engagement. In turn, solidifying their positions as leaders in the face of adversity.

Building reputation

Crisis situations are a pivotal moment for any business. One that requires active management, due attention, and carefully considered response. As Brent suggests: “You have to be paying attention to your reputation and your brand during normal times — but you have to pay even more attention to it in times of distress.”

For Berman and her team at DTEK Grids — Ukraine’s largest electricity distribution business, providing power to millions of civilians — this became apparent through a time of significant distress. Where, as a result of the ongoing war with Russia and its impact on everyday power access, a new, critical role for DTEK Grids emerged almost overnight.

“Since the beginning of the war, and being the biggest energy company in the country, we took on extra responsibility. For more than 700 days, we have been restoring electricity for tens of millions of people,” says Berman.

“My experience shows that crisis is an amazing time to form brand reputation and transform significantly. For instance, before the war, DTEK used to be first a technical company – but the war gave us an opportunity to transform our image to a ‘national hero’ company. If you act accordingly, on time, if you're responsible, and if your actions respond to society’s request, it can be a magical time for your reputation.”

Delivering impact

For these leaders, developing a deep understanding of their audience’s needs has also proved critical — ensuring both businesses deliver significant impact in their respective regions.

Our recent energy report also highlights this, where 81% of energy leaders said they seek to deliver more targeted and specific communications to their stakeholders at this pivotal moment of change in the energy industry.

For Brent and Husk Power Systems, the importance of relevancy has meant responding to societal needs and delivering impact in a highly considered way.

“We build, own and operate energy infrastructure [within] the most climate vulnerable communities on the planet,” says Brent. “These are often hard to reach and remote. It requires a lot of rethinking how energy systems work in order to be able to serve these communities in a way that is sustainable.”

So, as a business at the cutting-edge of technological advancement in an area where many have never had any access to electricity, what guides Husk Power Systems in its approach to brand and innovation?

“For us, the North Star is that our customer has to come first. Often, we are part and parcel of the community; and just by the nature of that relationship, it's as if we have to take care of our family,” says Brent. “It’s all about how you engage that customer and respond to the needs of that customer, not from the point of view of a supplier, but from the point of view as a fellow member of that community.”

Motivating talent

While the needs of external stakeholders is paramount for leaders during times of challenge, so too is the need to inspire talent.

It’s a focus Berman knows well, having successfully motivated her team through tense and difficult conditions — a time when DTEK Grids’ customer service team saw average daily phone calls skyrocket from 4,000 to 120,000 per day, with 300% additional requests on their website.

“We do our best to allow people to feel part of something meaningful, a really very important part of the current history of Ukraine,” says Berman. “We treat our employees as real heroes because that’s what they are. We reward them, we introduce them in communication campaigns... It’s very important in times of crisis to respond to questions and be the main source of information for your employees.”

Meanwhile, as a scaling organization that is seeking to double its talent force to drive much-needed action, Brent has leveraged brand to ensure Husk Power Systems also resonates with prospective talent.

“If you’re doubling your staff from 600 to 1200 people in a year, that means you have to redouble your effort in terms of how you’re engaging your employees,” says Brent. “Ultimately they’re the ones who will help bring in the next generation...you need them to be champions, the ambassadors for the brand.”

He adds: “I can’t stress it enough. I think it’s as important, if not more important, than the external work that we’re doing.”

The respective efforts have paid dividends for both organizations. For Berman, 75% of DTEK Grids employees said in a recent survey that they feel hope, while more than 1 in 2 said they feel pride when they interact with the company’s content. Meanwhile, Husk Power Systems was just named the most innovative energy company in the world by Fast Company — a significant driver of external interest.

Takeaways

For brands in the energy sector, transforming crisis into opportunity is not just a survival tactic — but a profound brand-building strategy. Leaders like William Brent and Diana Berman have showcased this through their visionary leadership, positioning their respective brands as essential, resilient leaders in the face of adversity.

What next?

For leaders, the actions are clear: by engaging deeply with stakeholders, responding genuinely to societal needs, and valuing your talent as crucial brand ambassadors, you can not only navigate crises, but emerge stronger and more connected than before.

In times of crisis, then, the question for brand leaders isn't merely how to survive, but how to thrive and drive lasting impact.

Head here to watch our Energy Voices conversation with William Brent and Diana Berman and sign up for future events.