REIGNITING NRG’S EMPLOYER BRAND
After a period of reorganization and downsizing in the oil and gas industry, NRG Energy faced the challenge of rebuilding employee morale while strengthening their talent acquisition pipeline. Our employer brand campaign leveraged the physics concept of "potential energy" to create a powerful metaphor: at NRG, the greatest potential of energy is people. By translating abstract corporate values into tangible, emotional experiences, we created a narrative that reminded employees why they chose NRG while positioning people as the company's most valuable resource—even above the energy they help produce and distribute.
HIGHLIGHTS
Crafted Dual-Purpose Messaging: Developed two distinct but complementary videos—one for rebuilding internal morale and another for external recruitment—using the clever homophone of "energy" and "NRG" to create targeted messaging without losing brand consistency
Captured Authentic Culture: Directed production teams across multiple locations from San Francisco to Houston to Princeton, featuring real employees rather than actors to showcase genuine workplace culture and build credibility during a sensitive period
Established Emotional Visual Language: Created a distinctive visual style featuring fluid camera movements and dynamic pacing that mirrored the company's innovative spirit and work-life balance, enhancing the emotional impact of the messaging
Navigated Post-Restructuring Sensitivities: Overcame stakeholder concerns about featuring employees during uncertain times by advocating for authenticity, emphasizing that genuine representation was essential for rebuilding trust
Directed Emotive Scoring: Personally guided the development of an original music score designed to feel deeply human with strategic swells that reinforced the "greatest potential" concept, amplifying the emotional resonance of the visuals
Integrated Strategic Wordplay: Developed a tagline that cleverly merged scientific principles with human-centered values, creating a memorable message that worked on multiple levels while reinforcing NRG's position at the industry forefront