Renewable Energy Brand Architecture & Naming Case Study — Puget Sound Energy
Turning a growing clean energy portfolio into a clear path for every customer
How it started
Puget Sound Energy set out to become the energy brand of choice in Washington State and a leader in supporting the state's Clean Energy Transformation Act. To get there, PSE built a wide range of renewable energy products that let customers take part in, and help drive, the move to clean energy.
As the portfolio grew, it got harder to follow. Solar Choice, Green Power, Carbon Balance, Community Solar, Customer Connected Solar and Green Direct had each been named on their own, by different teams, at different times. Customers struggled to tell the products apart, understand what made each one different, and figure out which one was right for them. Because the programs were technical, they were also hard to explain in everyday language.
With new renewables products expected every year, PSE brought in Program 11, in partnership with Seattle-based firm PlanBeyond. The job was to build a naming architecture that would unite the portfolio under the PSE brand and have room for whatever came next.
What we did
Program 11 and PlanBeyond led a three-phase research, architecture and naming initiative to turn a crowded product list into a clear path for customers:
Discovery & Stakeholder Research: Interviewed PSE stakeholders, reviewed existing product and consumer research, and studied how brands like Apple, Tesla and FedEx build naming systems that scale. We tested early findings with PSE in a Discovery Workshop.
Brand Architecture Development: Built three architectures, grouping products by customer action, by energy source, and by audience. We scored each against six goals set with PSE. The action-based model met all six and organized the portfolio into three tiers: Offset, Replace, and Generate.
Product Naming & Trademark Screening: Developed two naming sets for seven current and upcoming products. The recommended set pairs the customer's action with the energy source. Every candidate was screened against live trademarks and search results, which flagged conflicts early.
Naming Playbook: Delivered the naming formula, a three-step decision tree for future products (Evaluate, Ideate, Edit), best practices, and positioning guidance.
How it’s going
Program 11 delivered a naming architecture and playbook that gave PSE one customer-centered logic for its whole renewables portfolio.
Because the framework is organized around what customers do, PSE can present clean energy as a journey with a clear starting point for every household and business, whether they want to offset their energy use or generate their own power.
The playbook gave PSE's product and marketing teams a repeatable way to evaluate and name new offerings, and the action-first language has traveled.
PSE has since built its electrification programs around the same idea, with Up & Go Electric for EV charging and Go Electric for home electrification, inviting customers to take the next step in their clean energy journey.
