Two unlikely Australian icons have come together to front the latest campaign from VoltX Energy – The Castle legend Michael Caton and Manly Sea Eagles great Steve ‘Beaver’ Menzies.
The pair are neighbours in the ads, using humour and nature documentary satire to drive a simple message – solar panels without the batteries are only half the solution.
The campaign follows neighbours Caton and Menzies through Menzie’s absurd attempts to reduce his electricity bills – first he forces Manly Sea Eagles players to pedal exercise bikes as generators (which fails when they tire and his wife needs to use the oven), then Caton adopts a David Attenborough style narration while observing Menzies’ incomplete solar panel solution through binoculars, comparing it to ‘building half a dam.’
The campaign is a multi-agency initiative involving Tiny Giants, Sweeney Advertising, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, In The Media PR alongside the VoltX Energy marketing team.
The series then culminates with Caton crashing a ‘Bill Shock Support Group’ just for the meat pies, revealing his VoltX battery has freed him from bill anxiety and gives hope to his neighbour.
“Before I was an actor I was selling windmills so I love the idea of nature helping both us and the planet which is why I jumped at the chance to have some fun to create awareness around home batteries and bill shock that’s so topical right now,” said Caton.
“My own power bill had doubled in less than 12 months so I really needed a battery to wipe out my power bills, it surprised me how long the battery power lasts despite all the home appliances running.
“I actually thought I was too old to get a home battery but now having one I’m addicted to watching the app to see how much power is in my battery. It’s become a bit of a competition with myself to see how much I can generate compared to how much I’m using.
The veteran actor first gained attention in the 70’s hit TV show The Sullivans before making his way into the hearts of Australians in the late 90’s film The Castle and was nominated for a Logie for his role in Packed to the Rafters.
Both Caton and Menzies believe increased awareness of battery technology will be crucial as Australia continues to face increasing electricity prices and looks to make better use of solar power.
“Most people just accept they still have a power bill, even with solar, not realising they could have no bills or even be making money from the grid with a battery,” said Mr Menzies.
Menzies enjoyed a 16 season career in the NRL with 349 appearances and 180 tries for the Northern Eagles and Manly Sea Eagles from 1993 to 2008.
“The thing that’s surprised me the most is how you can track energy savings and see exactly how much energy you’re generating and storing from your mobile phone. Michael is very proud to show off how he’s generating more power than he’s using. It’s actually quite addictive.
“I get daily updates from Michael on how much electricity he’s generated and we have a lot of banter. It’s really become like the new neighbourhood competition,” Mr Menzies said.
VoltX Energy’s CEO David Sedighi said the campaign speaks to a critical market gap.
“Australians have embraced solar panels, but many don’t realise battery storage is essential to maximising returns on their investment,” said Sedighi. “We wanted to create a campaign that made that message impossible to ignore and entertaining in the process.”
