VoltX campaign with Caton, Menzies goes straight to the pool room

VoltX Energy has launched an advertising campaign linked to its Manly Warringah Sea Eagles sponsorship.

It will feature NRL and club great, Steve Menzies along with actor, Michael Caton (The Castle and Packed to the Rafters).

In the 30-second ads, the pair are neighbours extolling the value of home batteries connected to rooftop solar systems.

Other Manly players also appear in one ad, pedalling exercise bikes to generate part of Menzies’ attempts to reduce his electricity bill.

The campaign delivers the ambassador program that VoltX director of strategic marketing & partnerships, Susan Walsh foreshadowed in an interview with Sponsorship News.

At the time, she revealed one ambassador would have a Sea Eagles connection while the other was an iconic Australian selected for credibility and public trust.

“People will stop and listen to him, and they will trust that if he backed it, he believes in it,” she said.

The sponsor planned to launch the campaign after installing batteries at the ambassadors’ homes and allowing time to assess the technology.

Caton said his own electricity bill had doubled in less than 12 months before the installation of a battery.

“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.”

Menzies added that monitoring electricity generation and storage had created ongoing competition and banter between the pair.

The campaign uses humour and nature-documentary satire to argue that rooftop solar without battery storage provides only part of the solution to rising electricity costs.

VoltX CEO, David Sedighi said the idea was to make that message entertaining and difficult for consumers to overlook.

“Australians have embraced solar panels, but many don’t realise battery storage is essential to maximising returns on their investment.”

The campaign was co-developed by VoltX’s marketing team, Tiny Giants, Sweeney Advertising, the Sea Eagles and In The Media PR.

The sponsor originally joined the Sea Eagles at a lower tier before expanding the relationship to become a Premier Partner following successful activations.

VoltX’s Walsh previously told Sponsorship News the partnership had helped establish trust in the NSW market and demonstrated how sports partnerships could educate households about battery technology.

It is now considering sponsorships in Victoria, the ACT, Queensland and South Australia as it eyes new business outside NSW.

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