It must be tough, being in charge of a high-profile company in one of Britain's most-hated industries. You do your job really well, make loads of money for your shareholders, manage your finances well, pass on rises in raw-material costs to your customers and shelter yourself from drops in price, all while making your pricing structure opaque, so that no one really knows how much they're paying - and you get no thanks for it. Astonishing, really.
What is this job? Marketing director of RBS, or Lloyds Banking Group? No, it's British Gas. I spent a good proportion of the beginning of last week hearing it being hauled over the flames on various radio call-in shows for having the temerity to make profits on the back of shivering pensioners up and down the country.
We all seem to have forgotten that we sold off British Gas years ago, and still treat it like a public service, as though profits were somehow obscene, rather than its entire raison d'etre. (Come on now, you didn't still think it was a public service, did you? It exists to help create wealth for UK plc, not to keep us warm.)
That's what makes this campaign so clever and so effective. It is a beautifully integrated, lovable, engaging set of creative work that reaches its reassuring pinnacle on TV, but stretches into every surface the brand touches.
In fact, it is the gold standard in integration at the moment, as far as I'm concerned (despite it seeming very reminiscent to me of RKCR/Y&R's Lloyds TSB work), and it goes a long way to generating warm feelings toward an otherwise hated company.
This execution highlights British Gas' latest wheeze, offering its customers Nectar points - an initiative launched at just the right moment to soften the blow of its profits announcement and give the company's customers a reason to feel good, even if they aren't shareholders.
I can't help but feel that there's a missed opportunity in this market to do something a bit more mould-breaking with true marketing. Until that comes along, however, we will have to settle for outstanding integrated communications like this, to beautifully and handsomely paper over the cracks.