Taking Care of Things, the new brand platform for British Gas which introduces the world to a family of five blue furry creatures, has been a year in the making.

In an industry which has long embraced the ‘move fast and break things’ mantra, Andy Freeman, Group Brand and Marketing Officer of British Gas, underlines the power of playing the long game in marketing.

Freeman had a clear goal when he joined British Gas in 2019: build brand fluency. In essence, this meant bringing in a new level of consistency across the entire marketing ecosystem.

In a wider industry environment in which commentators are keen to present marketing as a series of binary choices (brand versus performance or short-term brand building versus long-term brand building), Freeman’s approach is a masterclass in proving it is possible to have it all. When you layer on the Generative AI capabilities of WPP Open, mercifully, this commitment doesn’t equate to doing it all.

Freeman is lifting the lid on the strategy behind the new ‘Taking Care of Things’ brand platform, alongside Victoria Appleby, UK CEO of T&Pm. While Appleby is relatively new to the agency, having joined in January from Channel 4, the agency’s relationship with British Gas is 22 years long and counting. 

The importance of true partnership

It is a partnership rooted in consistency and creativity. The brand was front and centre in 2024 celebrating an epic summer of sport. A campaign fronted by diver Tom Daley brought peace of mind to consumers that British Gas will keep consumers warm in the winter with same-day repairs. Campaign pit stops on a brand journey of reassuring consumers have enabled British Gas to arrive at its latest fluffy blue destination. 

So, is the length of their partnership at the heart of brilliant creative work? For Freeman, the question is multifaceted. While he believes you can make brilliant work because you have a good relationship, like any relationship in life, it is all about the type of relationship you have. The relationships you build.

“Working with T&Pm over the past five years I wanted to create a fluent device,” he explains: “This was the place we were trying to get to; the warmth and the smile that we wanted to create. We were both ambitious with where we wanted to get to and the long relationship is certainly an important part of it.”

“When you work with a brand for a really long time, you really get to understand them,” says Appleby, who has seen the impact of the trust built before she joined the agency. Yet she is equally clear that this longevity does not bleed into complacency. “It is really important to continue to push on the work.”

The power of creative tension

Tension is an important part of a successful brand and agency relationship. True partnerships are never a perfect marriage. Without the ability to speak up and push back, everyone loses. Freeman explains: “There is tension and that is positive, particularly when you are about to launch something that is so big and important.”

The shared endeavour and the singular creative truth that on set, brand and agency alike pursue the same goal is a unique leveller. The fact that the teams are full of people who enjoy spending time with each other makes it easier to navigate the inevitable creative tensions. 

Freeman is clearly intentional with his approach to relationship building: to put it simply, he enjoys spending time with the teams he works with. In an industry often in danger of placing process ahead of people, he is intentional in making the space to build meaningful personal relationships. 

This innate respect for people also extends to customers. In the wake of the energy crisis, he is mindful of the long-term impact of the cost of living on consumers. Sharing that he wants the Things campaign to live ‘forever’, Freeman's strategy is rooted in reducing worry for customers.

With brand awareness at 98%, as leader in the energy category, British Gas has consistently focused on reassurance. Freeman explains: “There is a whole load of work Centrica is doing to drive forward energy transition and deliver happier customers.”

This has included stand alone services such as same day call outs for people without hot water or heating, or half-price electricity on a Sunday. All campaigns place the realities of consumers' already stressful lives at their core. In essence, the role of the brand is to enable consumers to carry on living their lives without worrying that they don't have hot water. In a challenging emotional and economic environment, reassurance has never been such an important brand differentiator.

“With the platform we are launching, we want the Things to live forever. The message is really about carrying on without worrying,” adds Freeman.

Advertising as a hug

If previously advertising has relied on nostalgia as a reassuring comfort blanket, British Gas’ family of fluffy Things delivers some much-needed light relief. At a time when consumers face so many competing pressures, it is tempting to predict a surge in cuddly brand mascots. Who doesn’t need a hug in 2025?

Appleby explains: “You can really see yourself in them. When you watch the TV and you can really resonate with the Things, it is very engaging and entertaining.”

Can we expect to see the Things appearing in British Gas’ flagship sponsorship activations? In the midst of a new era of creativity in sports sponsorship, Freeman underlines that the energy giant’s approach is focused on legacy. From running football camps in Scotland, to investing £1m in creating sports facilities across the UK, the Things will be a part of creative activations. With the Winter Games in Milan on the horizon, sports sponsorship remains a significant element of British Gas’ marketing plans. 

AI can drive brand fluency

While the new brand platform is undoubtedly rooted in feeling, the facts of the campaign are that AI has been a significant tool to build brand consistency. Yet the duo are equally clear that it is never an ‘either or’ approach to human creativity and AI efficiency.

“The first thing to say is that when it comes to AI is that it is all about supercharging human creativity,” explains Appleby. The team used synthetic focus groups in their research. “It is ultimately about powering the teams and giving them more time to think by using AI to make their lives easier”, she continues, adding: “We use WPP Open across the agency to help us deliver better work for our clients; it gives us more thinking time.”

Amid a binary, negative leaning industry narrative on AI, Freeman notes that while creativity is all about the use of imagination, AI is a tool to create better work. While he ‘fully believes in AI’ he notes that it can be slower and create risk.

“For a brand like ours which is demand led we are constantly changing our messages to optimise,” he explains. With this in mind, there is an AI tool to use The Things to generate specific messaging and assets. There is also a voice over AI to enable the team to flex with new tariffs or sale offers. “AI will give us that agility but also that control. We have really big ambitions and we need everything to be on brand.” 

The power of people and creative consistency

Growing big marketing ambitions alongside ambitious and creatively curious teams is far from simple. So what advice do the duo offer fledgling leaders starting out on their career journeys today?

Freeman starts with brilliant basics. He explains: “First and foremost, you need to understand your customers. We are obsessed with data and insight.” His second advice is rooted in the energy and insights of who you choose to surround yourself with. He says, “It is important to surround yourself with brilliant, passionate people. I surround myself with loads of people who are more talented and capable than me.”

Maintaining an open minded and outward looking approach to the industry at large is also key. He explains: “As a modern day marketer you need to be aware of all the tools. Ask yourself what are the channels you don’t know about yet?”

For Appleby, success lies in withstanding the huge number of headwinds that marketing leaders face and bucking the pressure to simply focus on short-term approaches. She credits Freeman for his understanding and commitment to the power of the brand. 

Freeman adds: “The data is clear that having a fluent device and consistency really pays off. I have brilliant leadership backing to build stronger brands. Of course, there are pressures in the short term, but we are building for the future.”

When you consider that the foundations of this new brand platform were laid a year ago, the campaign is a masterclass in marketing fast and slow. For while industry narratives continue to focus on brand or performance or short term or long term, British Gas and T&Pm have successfully done both.

By investing in the brand team and running performance marketing in parallel, Freeman ensured there were clear roles and responsibilities. A ‘growth gear’ and ‘performance gear’ team worked in parallel before coming together to launch the campaign. 

In a challenging marketplace, Freeman has a simple yet compelling message: ‘trust the process’. He explains: “Wherever you look in any market there is increased competition and global turmoil. The answer to how brands are going to win and beat the competition is brilliant marketing.”

“The talent and technology we have at our disposal means we can harness the brilliance of creativity and supercharge it with all the tools we have at our disposal. You can be outstanding.”

Creativity is still the thing that gets us all out of bed in the morning and that's a thing to celebrate.