ACE Marketing Strategy. Version 2.0

Transcription

1 ACE Marketing Strategy Version 2.0

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3 ACE Marketing Strategy Version 2.0 Developed by Codema on behalf of the Academy of Champions for Energy with support from the INTERREG IVB North West Europe programme June 2015

4 All rights reserved Reproduction of the contents is permissible provided the source is acknowledged. Disclaimer While ACE considers that the information given in this work is sound, all parties must rely upon their own skill and judgment when making use of it. ACE does not make any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this report and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information. ACE will not assume any liability to anyone for any loss or damage arising out of the provision of this report.

5 Contents Introduction 5 ACE as a Brand 5 Target Audience 6 Current Market Position 6 Key Strengths in the Market 8 Marketing Objectives 9 Marketing Tools 10 Marketing Targets 16 Conclusions and Recommendations 17 Appendix 18

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7 Introduction: ACE is a renewable energy initiative which was launched across several North West European countries in The project promotes the importance and uptake of renewable energy and comprises of 10 partner organisations from five different North West European countries; Ireland, the UK, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The partnership has a wide range of skills within the energy sector which have been instrumental in supporting the objectives of the project. The update of this marketing plan will support the growth and success of the Academy of Champions for Energy until 2020 and will allow ACE to play on its key strengths so that potential opportunities are fully exploited. The objective of this marketing plan is to identify: How to raise awareness about the Academy How to successfully market the learnings and achievements of the Academy to help communities implement renewable energy projects How to bring the innovative processes of the Academy into the mainstream Version 1 of the ACE Marketing Strategy was delivered in 2013 and is now in review. In-depth discussions have taken place at the end of 2014 / early 2015 at ACE partner meetings to look at realistic and effective ways that the Academy can continue until 2020 and this will help to shape this version of the strategy. As the ACE project comes to a close, the partnership has been able to look back over the last four years to capture the perspective, roles and skills of each partner organisation that is involved in the project. All partners have provided input as to how they see the Academy continuing until 2020; this is an extremely important factor as it has allowed the Academy to match the expert skills and resources of partner organisations to specific tasks, meaning that the Academy has the best chance to be successful up to ACE as a Brand ACE has a unique brand image which is easily distinguishable and has served the partnership well over its lifetime. The brand comprises of a strong logo in a selection of colours and formats, a specific font, colour scheme and a number of building block images which have been used across a range of marketing materials. This branding can be used on all materials associated with ACE in supporting the Academy until ACE is supported by the tag line The Building Blocks for our Renewable Energy Future. This tagline summarises very well the work which the ACE project does in a 5

8 simple and captivating way and will continue to be relevant as the Academy works to promote and support the uptake of renewable energy throughout North West Europe up to More examples of Marketing Imagery and collateral can be seen in the appendix. Target Audience The target audience of the ACE project are: 1. Citizens/Community Groups 2. Local Authorities that represent these groups 3. Other EU projects This audience was identified following an extensive stakeholder mapping session in 2013 which is outlined in Figure 1 on the page overleaf. The stakeholder mapping exercise also identified several other interested stakeholders. The identification of a clear target audience has helped ACE to promote the project message clearly and in turn, will support the success of the Academy to the wider renewable energy market. Each partner within the Academy is working with local organisations in order to reach communities and remove any barriers to implementing sustainable and renewable energy projects. Current Market Position ACE is focused on the community-based (bottom up) approach to promoting renewable energy. Specifically, ACE focuses on engaging citizens from across North West Europe, developing community groups that have a general interest in energysaving into fully-fledged renewable energy communities. As ACE does not sell goods or services but rather openly shares expertise, the project does not have any direct competitors. However, ACE does operate in a sector where there are many other Renewable Energy initiatives which include: Other EU-funded projects Energy Cooperatives Energy Agencies Industry bodies Utilities 6

9 Figure 1: Map developed by the ACE partners in 2013 showing stakeholders that are interested in the project. Stakeholders were ranked by interest and power. The target audience of communities and local governments were quickly identified. These are marked in orange. Although there are a significant number of other stakeholders involved with RE in Europe, ACE addresses a gap in the European market i.e. it takes a bottom up approach to renewable energy. 7

10 Key Strengths in the Market The key strengths of ACE within the renewable energy marketplace can be identified as follows: 1 The ACE investment projects in Loenen (NL) and Dublin (IR) directly connect with and inform our target audience and educate them on the topic of renewable energy in an innovative and engaging way. 2 ACE not only promotes, but also enables, replication of renewable energy projects by sharing knowledge and making data available to other groups and projects. 3 ACE operates across a number of partner regions in North West Europe, meaning that complementary expertise can be shared and best practice adopted in the implementation of renewable energy initiatives within these regions. 4 ACE focuses on the bottom up approach to renewable energy and empowers everyday people and community groups in a way that other projects or initiatives do not. 5 Similarly, ACE is not commercially driven and can provide local communities with information about renewable energy initiatives in an impartial yet informative way. 8

11 Marketing Objectives The objectives of the ACE marketing strategy will strongly support the general objectives of the Academy to sustain itself until Specifically, the objectives for the marketing strategy will show how the Academy can be promoted using a variety of marketing tools and activities. Objective 1: Raise Awareness about the Academy While the ACE project itself will draw to a close, the Academy will continue on until 2020 so a key objective of the marketing strategy will focus on promoting the Academy, specifically to an audience which will benefit most from its strengths, i.e. communities and the local government bodies which represent them. Objective 2: Successfully Market the Learnings & Achievements of the Academy to help Communities Implement Renewable Energy projects There is huge replication and learning potential among ACE s demonstration projects, events, combined learnings, reports and other activities so a key marketing objective is to openly share this knowledge and make all this information freely available across a variety of online and offline platforms. Objective 3: Bring the innovative processes of the Academy into the mainstream Innovative processes are demonstrated through investments, along with the work and combined learnings of the Academy. This marketing strategy will identify the tools to promote the benefits of these processes and help them to move towards the mainstream. 9

12 Marketing Tools In order to successfully market the uptake of renewable energy to local community and government groups, the partnership has developed an ACE community engagement pyramid which highlights the various stages of citizen engagement that can be achieved, ranging from a general interest in energy right through to a fullyfledged renewable energy community. As you can see in Figure 2 below, the five steps of the pyramid are complemented by marketing tools that are tailored specifically to that particularly stage of the sustainable energy transition. Figure 2: ACE community engagement model for the increased uptake of renewable energy among citizens 10

13 The marketing tools for each level of the citizen engagement pyramid can be outlined as follows: Interest in Energy (low level, bottom of pyramid) Home Energy Saving Kit The Home Energy Saving Kit was developed by lead partner Codema in the first half of This promotional item will be available to borrow free of charge from Dublin City Public Libraries and includes 6 key tools that can enable citizens to carry out a mini energy audit on their home and to start their transition to a cleaner, more sustainable lifestyle. The kit also features a practical user manual and is complemented by a more extensive Guide to Home Energy Savings. It will act as a driver for citizens to engage with their local libraries for renewable energy information, particularly Kevin Street library which is the second half of Dublin City Council s ACE investment and will reopen with a dedicated renewable energy information hub. Given that the inspiration for this promotional kit came from a successful scheme in South Australia, there is huge replication potential to expand this campaign across the North West Europe region and to have a real impact on energy saving. Energy Conservation (low-to-mid level of pyramid) 3D Interactive Sustainable Energy House An interactive 3D sustainable energy house was developed by the Academy and is now available on It is also available to all partners who wish to incorporate it on to their own organisations websites. This interactive house shows the user how clean energy sources can be included into his/her everyday life, ranging from an external birds-eye shot featuring a whole host of renewable energy hotpoints (sun for solar energy, wind turbine for wind energy, water mill for hydro-power, etc) right through to the house interior where the user can click on each room of the house. Within each room is a selection of hotpoints where the user can click on an item or appliance and get an energy-saving tip specific to that item. Events & Workshops ACE events carried out by partners in their local region have been very successful in spreading the project s message to on-the-ground communities. Examples of these include renewable energy lego workshops for school children (IR), a renewable energy bake-off at the Renewable Energy MarketplACE (UK) and energy-saving workshops in a selection of Dublin City public libraries (IR) which featured detailed energy-saving information and a customised ACE lighting display (see next stage for more details on this specific tool). 11

14 Energy Efficiency (mid-level of pyramid) ACE Energy-Efficient Lighting Display ACE has developed a customised, interactive energy-efficient lighting display which guides citizens around the most common bulb types on the market and explains the difference between the cost, energy efficiency and lifespan of these bulbs. The lighting display also educates citizens about how much light each bulb gives off and how to select the right bulb type for each room. This tool was launched at a range of energy-saving workshops in a selection of Dublin City Public Libraries and is aimed at citizens who have already begun to save energy and want to equip themselves with more knowledge about energy-efficiency so that they can continue to expand their energy-saving efforts. The display is complemented by an ACE Guide to Energy-Saving Lightbulbs which can be made available to share with citizens across the Academy. Renewable Energy (mid-to-high level of pyramid) Renewable Energy Lego Workshops In May and June 2015, ACE lead partner Codema hosted a number of renewable energy Lego workshops in a number of Dublin City Public Library branches. The workshops were aimed at school children aged years who are already in the national Green Schools programme and want to expand their energy-saving curriculum. The Lego workshops allowed the children to build a number of renewable energy models such as solar stations, wind turbines and solar cars to enable the children to witness first-hand the power that can be generated from clean energy sources. The Lego kits used are available across North West Europe and can easily be replicated to other schools in these regions (local school in Loenen, for example) to inspire younger minds to incorporate renewable energy into their lives. Renewable Energy Events Events to celebrate the ACE investments (stakeholder gathering at Loenen Energy Neutral Village, Dublin City Energy Fair to celebrate the launch of the 5Cube) have also been very successful in highlighting the benefits of sustainable and renewable energy to communities in an engaging way. A Strategic Initiative Workshop took place in Brussels in April 2015 to bring together all the strategic initiative clusters to evaluate the projects results and to look at what is needed to drive renewable energy projects forward in North West Europe to The workshop had a very strong transnational value and was very beneficial in terms of shared-learning and future collaboration with other organisations across the regions. The ACE Awards finale took place in Arnhem in November 2014 and showcased communities that are pioneering innovation in renewable energy techniques. 12

15 Regional finalists were selected prior to the finale where the overall winners were awarded in three specific categories: Energy Neutral Village Community Based Renewable Energy Energy Smart Municipalities The awards were extremely effective in widening the scope of the Academy, promoting its work and also in generating local and national press coverage in the partner regions to inspire other communities to get involved and share knowledge through ACE. Investment Projects The completed ACE investment projects (Loenen Energy Neutral Village in the Netherlands and the 5Cube in Dublin, Ireland) are an excellent marketing tool which can be used to demonstrate what ACE is all about. Public visits by local community groups and stakeholders should be continued to promote and strengthen the Academy to 2020, along with strong promotion of the renewable energy hub in Kevin Street Library (the second half of Dublin City Council s investment) when it reopens. ACE Business Models The ACE project developed financially sustainable business models for community energy projects which can be found in the ACE report Financially Sustainable Business Models for Community Led Sustainable Energy. The Communities for Renewables (CFR) business model works with communities and helps to develop locally-owned projects through a community benefit society or social enterprise structure. The CFR provides expertise from initiation to project delivery, helps raise finance through a co-operative share offer and reduces risk. This model ensures community interests are protected and social benefits assured. Surplus profits are re-invested back into the local community. The Zeeland carbon credits model organises voluntary C02 compensation for business, provincial and local government and institutions within its own region making projects visible and creating local benefit. Renewable Energy Community (highest level of pyramid) Citizen Engagement Tool The new ACE online community engagement tool was developed by UK ACE partner the National Energy Foundation and went live in Spring 2015 via This online tool includes a whole host of resources such as inspiring case studies and action packs to enable communities to engage more people as they initiate, plan and deliver sustainable energy projects. The online tool will continue to be developed throughout the lifetime of the Academy, adding new case studies as and when they are provided. 13

16 Community Action Packs A range of Community Action Packs have been developed by the National Energy Foundation on behalf of the Academy. Each pack has been written and reviewed by community activists with first-hand knowledge of what it takes to set up social enterprises to address the challenges of peak oil and climate change. Included in the packs are practical suggestions and inspiration for setting up community initiatives and to help those who are ready to take action to do just that. These action packs are available on the citizen engagement tool and also on the main ACE website, ACE Website: The ACE website ( allows the Academy to interact with stakeholders and share the learnings and successes of the ACE project. The website has been updated over the lifetime of the project and now includes a Community Resources section, featuring an interactive renewable energy map, links to community action packs, informative case studies and an interactive 3D sustainable house which shows the user how clean energy sources can be incorporated into his/her everyday life. The ACE website also features a section on the demonstration projects, Loenen Energy Neutral Village (NL) and the 5Cube (IR) to showcase these investment sites and to encourage replication in other regions. These sites will help to promote the Academy and should be made available for public visits. Similarly, a dedicated space has been created to highlight the ACE Awards finale which took place in November This section showcases all the winners and finalists from the 3 award categories and again shows inspiring and replicable examples of renewable energy initiatives. ACE reports have also been added to the button suite on the homepage and includes all the main reports and documents arising from the project which can be downloaded easily by the user. The website will be maintained by the Academy until 2020 and will soon feature a directory of the Energy Champions displayed through a geographical map which will enable communities to connect with experts in their area and peer groups across North West Europe. Online Analytics: Analysis of website traffic and social media followers can act as a strong indicator for how effective communications activities (including offline activities) have been; for example the success of press releases or conference exhibitions can be assessed based on the change in website traffic before and after communications activities have taken place. 14

17 The Academy can continue to utilise fully all web analytic tools available; this will help objectively identify the strengths and weaknesses of work which is carried out. Social Media: ACE is using a variety of social media platforms to promote its message and has a dedicated Twitter account and LinkedIn group, both of which are working well. While there is no dedicated YouTube account for the Academy, many of the partner organisations are using their individual YouTube accounts to promote ACE videos, and in turn, share these links via Twitter and LinkedIn. The ACE Twitter account (@AceforEnergy) is used regularly to promote project news, events and videos and to share inspiring examples of renewable energy initiatives. It is very helpful in giving local communities a voice and connects them directly with the European message through ACE. The account currently has 307 followers and is following 442 networks. ACE tweets are also retweeted constantly by the partner organisations individual Twitter accounts to ensure the maximum reach possible. The Academy of Champions for Energy LinkedIn group is working well and currently has 92 members. The group is able to share updates from the Academy and also to share expertise, links and resources to renewable energy initiatives. LinkedIn will be the main communication tool between the partners in order to make the Academy as visible as possible. These social media channels will continue to be utilised and developed over the lifetime of the Academy until Documents: Reports and documents developed through ACE allow the Academy to share its findings and expertise with the target audience and other stakeholders who are interested in implementing renewable energy projects. Reports are published online so are constantly accessible regardless of where in NWE the information is required. All ACE reports and documents can be found on ACE Newsletter The ACE newsletter continues to be an effective way of communicating the project s news to key stakeholders. There are currently 269 subscribers to this newsletter, comprising of members of the Academy but also other energy champions such as the ACE award finalists who have signed up to the newsletter over time. To continue the Academy until 2020, an annual newsletter (utilising news items from partner organisations) will be produced 15

18 summarising the Academy s achievements during the year for circulation to the Academy and its extended network. Marketing Targets All targets proposed for 2016 are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed) and they are outlined in Figure 3 below. These can all be easily monitored and can act as indicators of the Academy s marketing success. Marketing Indictors 2016 Targets Number of Unique Website Visitors 2,000 Events (i.e. hosted by partners) 1 Number of Twitter Followers 350 Number of LinkedIn Members 100 Newsletters 1 Figure 3: Marketing Indicators for

19 Conclusions and Recommendations This marketing strategy has proposed three key objectives to focus on sustaining and promoting the Academy until These are: 1 Raising Awareness of the Academy 2 Successfully Market the Learnings & Achievements of the Academy to help Communities Implement Renewable Energy projects 3 Bring the innovative processes of the Academy into the mainstream These objectives will help support the overall success of the Academy until Provided the marketing objectives are successfully implemented, there should be an increased interest in the Academy and its work from communities and the local government bodies which represent them. If ACE is underperforming in marketing to its target audience, it is important that this is recognised. This will allow the Academy to make an assessment on what the main issues are and how these might be overcome. If necessary, indicator targets may need to be reassessed if they are found to be unrealistic in practice. Similarly, if the Academy has surpassed targets before the year end these too should be reassessed.. 17

20 Appendix Example of ACE Marketing Materials Figure 4: ACE Full and Short Logos Figure 5: ACE grid and ACE blocks 18

21 Figure 6: ACE Presentation Slides Figure 7: ACE Pop-up banner for use at events 19

22 Figure 8: Screen shot of home page of ACE website, 20

23 Figure 9: Screen shot of homepage of Citizen Engagement Tool, 21

24 Figure 10: ACE Twitter Figure 11: Academy of Champions for Energy LinkedIn Group 22

25 Figure 12: Example of ACE Newsletter (Spring / Summer 2015 Issue) 23

26 Figure 13: Examples of ACE Events 1. ACE energy-saving workshop in Raheny Library, Dublin 2. Programme Director of the INTERREG IVB NWE programme Ruut Lowers and Codema s Director Gerry Wardell congratulate category winners at the ACE Awards finale in Arnhem, November The ACE Dublin investment the 5Cube, which represents 5 minutes of oil use in Ireland 4. Inspiring ACE visit to the local school in Loenen Energy Neutral Village, November ACE renewable energy lego workshop in Coolock Library, Dublin, as featured on Irish national TV 6. The Dublin City Energy Fair in Civic Offices to celebrate the launch of the 5Cube 7. The ACE Strategic Initiative Workshop held in Brussels on 29 th April The renewable energy bake-off at the Renewable Energy MarketplACE in the UK, April

27 Figure 14: Codema s Verena Brennan showcases the promotional Home Energy Saving Kit which will soon be available in a number of Dublin City Library branches Figure 15: The interactive 3D sustainable house has been developed as part of the ACE project to promote the use of renewable and sustainable energy to homeowners across the North West Europe region. 25

28 Figure 16: The ACE geographical map where you can find organisations participating in energy and climate change actions across NWE. Figure 17: Example of a renewable energy map of Dublin available in the Community Resources section of The map highlights all the current renewable energy installations in Dublin. 26

29 Figure 18: The Community Action Packs, case studies and other project reports are available for communities and other stakeholders to download from and Figure 19: Apeldoorn s ACE Investment has helped Loenen make great strides in its transition to become an energy-neutral village 27

30 Figure 20: The launch of the Dublin City s ACE investment the 5Cube was complemented by the Dublin City Energy Fair to celebrate sustainable and renewable energy 28

31 Title ACE Action Packs: Sustainable Community Loan Fund Energy Farms: Anaerobic Digestion Community-Led Wind Power Community-Led Transport Initiatives Community-Led Reuse of Resources Community-Led Hydro Initiatives Community-Led Photovoltaic Initiatives Community-Led Food Initiatives Renewable Energy Report Dublin ACE Marketing Strategy Templederry Case Study Strategic Initiative Report Recommendations on the production and consumption of renewable energy in NWE Financially Sustainable Business Models for Community-Led Sustainable Energy Blueprint: The Loenen Way for Energy Transition Demand and Resource Mapping report South Tipperary Renewable Energy Strategy 2014 Description These action packs have been developed by the National Energy Foundation and provide practical suggestions and inspiration for setting up local community initiatives The Renewable Energy Report was commissioned by Codema and is the first inventory of locally produced renewable energy sources in Dublin The ACE Marketing Strategy has been developed by the lead partner Codema to ensure the growth and success of the Academy until 2020 Tipperary Energy Agency (TEA) prepared a case study on community wind farm in Templederry, Co. Tipperary. Four individuals from the community completed a Certificate in Renewable Energy at the Tipperary Institute and, following from this, sought to develop a wind energy project in the region This report documents key findings and recommendations to increase the production and consumption of renewable energy in NWE by building upon the discussions at a workshop held in Brussels in April 2015 and though lessons learnt from the Strategic Initiative projects The report examines financially sustainable business models for community energy which have been shared across partners and tested locally. The report includes community engagement and finance-model evaluation sections. The blueprint shares the Loenen experience on their energy transition to an energy neutral village This report provides a methodology to establish local energy demand, determine renewable energy source potential for a region and understand the benefits of job creation This report identifies renewable energy opportunities for South Tipperary with consideration to local factors (environmental, economic, heritage, social, 29

32 Dublin City Spatial Energy Demand Analysis ACE Guide to Home Energy Savings ACE Home Energy Saving Kit Manual ACE Guide to Energy Saving Light Bulbs ACE Manual: Towards a Climate Neutral Village Academy of Champions for Energy Award Guide 2014 ACE Constitution etc) This reports documents a Spatial Energy Demand Analysis in Dublin City and will help base energy planning policies and objectives on a spatial understanding of the exisiting and future energy profiles and promote the generation and supply of low carbon and renewable energy alternatives This guide features a range of simple yet practical tips to save energy in the home and covers a range of important topics such as space heating, domestic hot water, electrical appliances, etc. This manual has been developed by Codema to accompany the Home Energy Saving Kit and provides practical instructions on the kit s six energy-saving tools which will help citizens identify areas in the home where savings can be made. This guide has been developed by Codema to accompany the ACE lighting display. It explains how citizens can choose the right bulb for their home in five easy steps. This manual is a process tool for North West Europe villages that will help them on the journey towards a climate neutral and sustainable village. This guide documents the 17 finalists from across NWE in 3 categories: 1. Energy Neutral village 2. Community Based Renewable Energy 3. Energy Smart Municipalities The ACE Constitution was prepared by the ACE partners and outlines the roles of each of the Academy s members and provides a structure for the continuation of the Academy until 2020 Figure 21: List of reports available on 30

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