Swedish group Vargas Holding is launching a clean energy-tech business Aira with a raft of UK agencies and an in-house marketing team, led by former Vodafone chief Pamela Brown.
The fourth venture in Vargas’ green investment strategy, Aira will urge European consumers to switch from a gas boiler to a heat pump by promoting the fact that this change is twice as effective for CO2 reduction as driving an electric car; three times as effective as stopping flying; and four times as effective as switching to a plant-based diet.
As well as direct-to-consumer campaigns, Aira will also develop recruitment campaigns to boost awareness with the thousands of clean energy experts required to accelerate the heat pump revolution.
The ultimate communications goal is to help demystify heat pumps through Aira’s clean energy-tech ecosystem that offers savings from day one, a seamless customer journey and substantial reductions in CO2 emissions.
Following a pre-launch pilot in Italy, the business will be rolled-out across Germany and the UK this year, with further European markets to follow. The ambition is to be present in over 20 markets by 2030, with a team of over 10,000 clean energy experts across Europe, serving 5 million homes across the continent.
The firm will work with a raft of agencies, including Kurppa Hosk/Arc group for brand strategy and design; Croud on global digital media; Fold7 for global creative; The 10 Group will run earned communications and social; Bellbird for corporate launch communications; and Novos on SEO.
Aira’s in-house marketing team will be led by Brown, who was appointed group UK CMO and commercial director in August 2022. Prior to this, she was CMO of Vodafone’s Smart Tech unit for four years, and marketing director of Aldermore Bank in 2017.
She was also previously part of the founding team which launched Hive by British Gas to become the number one connected homes brand in the UK.
Brown will be supported by Serina Saroian, head of marketing, group and UK, who was previously head of product marketing at Vodafone Smart Tech and associate director of brand and marketing at Virgin Mobile.
Meanwhile, Christian Van Oostrum will be head of growth, group and UK. He has held head of performance marketing roles with Papier, Pirate Studios and Busuu; and Lucy Manning, marketing manager, group and UK. She has worked both client and agency side, including roles at Eve Sleep, AB InBev, ITV, Iris, and McCann.
Aira chief executive Martin Lewerth said: “We are on a mission to decarbonise residential heating, which is the third biggest contributor of CO2 emissions in Europe. This is an ambitious goal – and to achieve it, we knew we had to assemble a team with a track record of excellence.
“Our marketing team is made up of highly experienced, passionate, and dedicated individuals who are committed to educating and inspiring customers about the benefits of clean energy-tech.
“With two decades’ experience working with innovators in multiple categories, Pamela is the perfect fit to lead this team as we empower more people to join the clean energy revolution, one home at a time.”
Brown added: “Aira’s bold and impactful business is a marketeer’s dream. Building the brand of an organisation that can have such significant individual and societal impact is both a joy and a great responsibility. I am immensely proud of the exceptional work of our marketing team to launch the brand over the last few months – and the journey has only just begun.
“Residential heating is a major, but often overlooked, source of global carbon emissions. With help from our valued partners, we will become the go-to-provider for complete home energy saving solutions.”
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