Loop
Loop: Small energy app, big cut through
We helped Loop boost awareness and trust in a crowded market by being smarter, not louder.
The challenge
Energy bills were dominating kitchen table conversations across the UK. Households were anxious, confused and desperately looking for ways to reduce costs. Loop, a free smart app designed to help people understand and cut their energy usage, had exactly the kind of help people needed.
The problem was visibility. With major energy companies and well-funded consumer brands dominating headlines, Loop was being drowned out. It had a modest budget, no scope for new content production, and a category full of heavyweights, including the Energy Saving Trust, MoneySuperMarket and USwitch. Growing both brand awareness and actual app users, without outspending the competition, meant thinking differently.
Our approach
Rather than trying to shout louder, we focused on being more useful. And more timely.
Building a data engine from scratch
We started by going deep into Loop’s own data; interrogating its usage calculations and statistics, filing Freedom of Information requests, and developing our own energy calculations to find the stories buried within them. Stories that would resonate with journalists covering the energy crisis and, more importantly, with the households those journalists were writing for.
Understanding the real anxiety behind the numbers
Real human understanding was key to this, and that’s something we had, thanks to the Real Folk Community. We knew that people weren’t just worried about bills in the abstract. They were lying awake calculating costs, second-guessing every appliance, looking for anything that would give them a sense of control in a situation that felt increasingly out of their hands. Loop’s data spoke directly to those anxieties. Our job was to make sure it reached people at exactly the moments they were most receptive.
Creating the Energy Doctor
Data alone doesn’t generate coverage. A credible human voice does. And so, we created the Energy Doctor, a media-friendly expert spokesperson who could bring Loop’s insights to life for journalists and audiences alike. Journalists began approaching us directly for the Energy Doctor’s perspective on breaking energy stories, and that relationship continued even after the company was later acquired.
Timing as strategy
We monitored the energy news cycle closely, identifying the precise moments (price cap announcements, seasonal features, policy debates) when Loop’s insights would be most relevant and most welcome. Rather than creating new content, we repurposed Loop’s existing material with new messaging, shaping it into timely, usable commentary that journalists could drop straight into their coverage.
Connecting earned media to paid performance
We also worked with Loop to ensure that PR momentum translated into paid performance. When national coverage landed, we fed the search terms people were using to find those stories directly into Loop’s PPC bidding, keeping the brand visible to the audiences who were already looking for answers.
The impact
We created an agile, responsive PR strategy that kept Loop consistently present in the national conversation around energy. Without a big budget, without a content production schedule, and without ever needing to be the loudest voice in the room.
In 12 months, the campaign generated 368 pieces of coverage, an average of 31 pieces a month against a KPI of 12. Loop was covered by national titles 85 times including the BBC, Daily Express and MSN, reaching 1.5 billion readers across the UK at a CPM of just £0.04. 66% of coverage included backlinks, with an average Domain Authority of 73.
The campaign generated hundreds of pieces of media coverage, from the BBC to ThisIsMoney, establishing Loop as a credible and trusted voice in the energy space at the precise moment households across the UK needed guidance most. Loop also received proactive approaches from leading media, including being named the number one app on BBC Click and The Gadget Show. On the day of ITV Tonight coverage alone, 7,500 Loop app accounts were opened.
The impact on brand awareness and growth was also significant. Brand search increased by 40.34%, and in a single year, Loop’s total user base grew by 10,700%, with an average monthly user growth of 63%.
The work was recognised across the industry, winning Gold at the CIPR Pride Awards Cymru 2023 for Best Media Relations and Gold at the CMA Awards 2022 for Best Consumer Campaign, with further shortlistings at PRMoment.
“The Folk Group have delivered considerable value and we have been impressed to see the results of their digital PR activities reflected in the growth of our user base. We are confident that the enthusiasm and understanding they bring to meeting briefs and objectives has helped us grow as a company during a period where many voices were fighting to be heard in the energy saving space.”
Simon Stocks, Head of Marketing at Loop
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