Lightforce Solar launches new TVC to declare “The future is obvious”

Lightforce Solar has launched a new national television campaign designed to reposition solar energy as a mainstream choice for Kiwi households.

Titled ‘The future is obvious,’ the campaign aims to normalise solar, shifting it away from technical explanations or ideology and into the realm of everyday Kiwi common sense.

The future of energy is the sun

At the heart of the TVC is Kevin Barrett, father of today’s rugby heroes, Beauden, Scott and Jordie Barrett, cast not as a celebrity, but as a man with a long track record of quietly seeing what’s coming.

In the film, Kevin’s foresight is framed as practical, lived wisdom. His latest prediction: the future of energy is the sun.

Make it feel inevitable

The campaign was created by strategist and creative David (DT) Thomason, working with creatives Paul Taylor and Corey Chalmers. It followed a brief from Lightforce Solar owner John Harman to accelerate growth for both the brand and the wider solar category.

“Solar had become accidentally positioned as a political or lifestyle statement,” says Thomason.

“Facts and savings alone weren’t shifting behaviour. It was a cultural challenge, solar simply wasn’t ‘normal’ yet. The strategy was to make it feel inevitable. Kevin embodied that logic perfectly.”

The brand idea, “It’s bloody obvious,” informed both the creative tone and execution. Rather than leaning into education or tech credentials, the campaign draws from classic Kiwi advertising cues, humour, understatement and mass appeal.

Funnier and far more truthful

Midway through development, Harman made a call by signing the Barretts to the campaign. Rather than centering the creative on sporting stardom, the idea evolved to focus on their father – a quieter, more unexpected lead whose authority comes from experience, not fame.

“It turned what could have been a cliché into something much funnier and far more truthful,” says Thomason. “Kevin isn’t trying to convince anyone. He just knows.”

The campaign has rolled out in stages, with individual Barrett brothers appearing across outdoor and digital placements over recent months, delivering early uplift in business. The TVC marks the first time the full family story comes together on screen, including Kevin’s role within it.

Landed perfectly

Directed by James Anderson, the production required careful coordination to capture all four Barretts together, with filming taking place during a tightly scheduled shoot window.

Lightforce Solar marketing manager Lyle Hastings says: “It was one of those rare productions where everything landed exactly as planned, including the humour.

“It’s the perfect overarching piece of content before we introduce the next phase of the campaign, expanding into environments that allow for deeper messaging.”

The finished TVC, complete with Lightforce Solar’s new audio branding, launched nationally on April 5, representing the brand’s largest above the line investment to date.

Thomason says: “I haven’t felt this confident in a new campaign’s effectiveness since I first saw the Tina from Turners ads. Kevin is going to be hugely popular. It’s obvious.”

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