Question 1

Is net zero really a marketing problem?

Accepted Answer

Yes – but not in the way people usually mean. The book isn't arguing that net zero needs better logos or snappier slogans. It's arguing that the entire approach to consumer adoption has been built on a flawed premise: that if you explain the problem clearly enough, people will act. They won't. Not because they're stupid or selfish, but because that's not how human behaviour works. Marketing – in the proper, strategic sense – is the discipline of understanding what moves people and designing propositions accordingly. That's exactly what's missing from the transition.

Question 2

Isn't this just preaching to the converted?

Accepted Answer

Most people believe in climate change. Far fewer are changing their behaviour as a result. The gap between belief and action is the whole problem – and it's a marketing problem, not an information problem. The book is specifically about the majority of consumers who are sympathetic but disengaged: the ones who'd adopt heat pumps, EVs and green tariffs if someone gave them a compelling enough reason. That reason rarely has anything to do with the environment.

Question 3

Is this an optimistic book or a pessimistic one?

Accepted Answer

Deliberately optimistic. The book runs 'Reasons to Be Cheerful' as a recurring thread across three chapters. The argument is that the economics of the transition have already turned – clean energy is cheaper, electric vehicles are getting cheaper, heat pumps will follow – and that the marketing just needs to catch up. That's a solvable problem.

Question 4

What are the 'big ideas' in the book?

Accepted Answer

The book is built around a set of distinctive concepts: the Field of Dreams Paradox, the Clarkson Effect, the Green Mondeo Man, the Qashqai Family, the Wizard of Oz Illusion, Cheaper/Greener/Simpler and the Energy Transition Triangle. Each one is a lens for understanding why adoption is stalling – and what would fix it.

Question 5

Who are the main consumer segments in the book?

Accepted Answer

The book draws on the More in Common 'Shattered Britain' research, which segments the British population into seven groups. Current net zero communications largely reach the first three – about 40% of the population. The book is about how to reach the other 60%.

Question 6

What makes you qualified to write this?

Accepted Answer

I've spent several years leading teams across OVO Energy – one of the UK's largest energy companies – during a period of genuine upheaval in the sector, before which I founded and scaled businesses in automotive retail and home services. The book is built on that experience: the campaigns that worked, the ones that didn't, and the consumers who taught me what actually moves people.

Question 7

Are you a climate activist?

Accepted Answer

No. Commercially minded and genuinely optimistic about the transition – but the book is deliberately not written from an activist perspective. The argument is that activist framing is part of the problem: it reaches the already-convinced and bounces off everyone else.

Question 8

Why did you write it while working at OVO?

Accepted Answer

The book started as an attempt to articulate something I kept observing at work: that we had genuinely good products, genuinely compelling economics and genuinely motivated people – and we were still struggling to reach the consumers who would benefit most. That frustration became a thesis, and the thesis became a book.

Question 9

When is the book out?

Accepted Answer

September 2026. Sign up to get launch updates and be notified when it's available.

Question 10

Where can I buy it?

Accepted Answer

Details on retailers will be confirmed closer to launch. Sign up and you'll be first to know.

Question 11

Can I get a review copy?

Accepted Answer

Yes – if you're a journalist, podcaster, blogger or event organiser, use the press contact form and we'll be in touch.

Question 12

Can I bulk order for my team or organisation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Get in touch via the contact form and we can discuss options.