British Gas Humorously Gets to the Heart of Home Improvement

British Gas this week launches a new campaign that positions boilers at the heart of home improvement. Even amidst the cost-of-living crisis, investing in home improvement remains important for many households. Yet, despite adding significant value to your home, reducing your energy bills and lowering your carbon emissions, adding a new boiler is often not considered.

In the work ​​developed by nucleus, the integrated agency group responsible for all British Gas communications, the impact of an old boiler is comedically brought to life with a bang, as we see it crash into a beautifully designed family home with the ensuing oily horror.

Executed across TV, VOD, online video and social, the work delivers against a strategy to target home renovators and show that a new boiler goes hand-in-hand with home upgrades. The campaign repositions boilers away from a distress purchase towards something that’s as valued as the more visual elements of home improvement and even more impactful on everyday life.

Andy Freeman, marketing director at British Gas, said: “With the increased cost of living, the energy wastage of an inefficient boiler is even more front of mind. Upgrading to a new one has the potential to reduce annual energy bills by up to 21% and makes family home life much more comfortable – especially if it’s done before the old one goes completely bust, like when upgrading your kitchen or bathroom. Our campaign brings this all to life in a fun and no-nonsense way.”

Toby Allen, executive creative director at nucleus, said: ​​“If you’re spending time and savings on your dream kitchen or bathroom, why let an inefficient boiler spoil it? We wanted to get that message across in the most explosive way possible, juxtaposing a pristine new kitchen and bathroom with the metaphorical chaos of a rusty old boiler.”

The initial kitchen edit will be followed up by a second execution set in the bathroom and campaign spikes are planned for each variant in all channels around key bank holidays throughout the summer, tapping into key DIY moments for the British public.