Communicating the reality
We know that there is a high level of support
We know that there are many myths about wind energy
We know that knowledge increases support
Familiarity breeds content – the inverse Nimby syndrome!
Campaign objectives
• Give people who support wind power a voice
• Challenge the myths about wind power
• Reposition wind power as the first step in the
‘renewables revolution’
• Demonstrate that wind is a mainstream energy business
Approach
3 key elements:
• Champions – celebrity and local• Campaign website – information and sign-up• Supporting materials – images, postcards, badges etc
Combined with ongoing media stunts to raise awareness
Embrace champions - celebrity
• Chris Tarrant
• Guy Berryman, Coldplay
• Tom Dixon, Head of Design, Habitat
• Wayne Hemingway, Designer
• Julia Barfield and David Marks, Designers
of the London Eye
• Zac Goldsmith, Environmentalist
• Bishop of Liverpool
• Tim Wheeler, Ash
• Sian Lloyd, weather reporter
Embrace champions - celebrity
• Simon Schama, historian
• Lord Norman Foster, architect
• Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
• Anita Roddick, Businesswoman
• Kevin McLoud, presenter, Grand Designs
• Polly Toynbee, journalist
• John Tomlinson CBE, opera singer
• Mary Archer President, NEF
• Brian Cox, actor
• veteran broadcasters Vincent Kane OBE and
Magnus Magnusson KBE … to name but a few
Embrace champions - local
• 42 local champions
• All over the country
• Happy to speak out:
at country launches, to local media, and to concerned residents
near wind farm proposals.
Campaign website
• www.embracewind.com
• the basis of our call to action
• 20,000 people have signed up to wind … and counting
• Captures names to go on four wind turbines across the country
• Mechanic to email local MPs – 3,500 letters sent so far
Media coverage: launch
• National media coverage in:– Independent on Sunday– Financial Times x 2
– Scotsman
– Guardian x 2
– Press Association
– Steve Wright Show, BBC Radio 2
– BBC Online
• Radio interviews on 69 regional stations
• Regional press coverage in 18 papers
• Magnum Photographs as centre page spread in Guardian G2 post-launch
Favourability
• All articles contained at least one key campaign message
• 8 positive articles
• 5 balanced articles including negative comments from Noel Edmonds, David Bellamy and local action groups
Advertising
• Undertook first ever billboard advertising campaign for wind
• Selected 350 tactical sites at 120 locations throughout the UK
• In areas with wind farms in different stages of planning
• Ran from 1 November for 2 weeks
• Photo launch of ad campaign in Edinburgh with 4 MSPs, BWEA and SRF – exclusive with Glasgow Herald on Sunday and lots of regional press interest for Monday
Favourability
• 10 positive and 12 balanced stories
• Negative comments from: – Local groups (5)– David Bellamy (1)– Ramblers Association Scotland (1)– John Hayes, Shadow Minister for Housing & Planning (2)– Noel Edmonds (1)– Local MPs (1)
• Independent analysis shows value for money compared with concurrent campaigns
NOP Wind Tracker
• a regular assessment of opinion to wind energy in UK
• Repeat 3 questions, originally asked for launch poll:
“Wind farms are necessary so that we can produce renewable energy to help us meet current and future energy needs in the UK”
Thousands put their hands up in support …
• 6,000 people visited 15 wind farms across the country
• 143 items of coverage – higher even than launch (127)
• 95% positive• 2 negative articles … not
safe to ‘touch a turbine’
Public Affairs and Party conferences
• Public affairs activity integrated into Embrace
• Embrace at Party conferences – stand at Labour
• Letters and badge sent to every MP, MSP and Welsh AM – some now wearing in public!
• Briefings and MP visits to wind farms being set up
Media coverage - favourability
0
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100
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Positive Neutral Negative
466 items of coverage in total: 90% positive, 6% neutral, 4% negative
Coverage by media type
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umer
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Survey of journalists
6 national and 4 regional broadcast and print journalists• 70% aware – 30% not aware – 100% want more info• They said:
– It’s a local story– Editorial policy re wind/nuclear has ultimate influence over copy– Right wing bias of media makes national coverage hard to obtain– Most people are in favour of wind farms
• We need external hook or event to make it newsworthy
• We need more in-depth analysis, facts and figures to challenge anti’s mis-information campaign
Established Embrace the Revolution
• A campaign to unite the wind industry
• A campaign the government can support
• A campaign to build on
• A campaign that has had media circulation of 96 million
Headline results
• Secured support from 35 high profile celebrity champions and 42 local champions to speak out
• 466 media stories – 90% positive
• 300 posters in targeted local areas seen by 3 million people
• 86,000 website hits generating over 20,000 supporters and 3,300 letters to MPs
• Attitudes remaining stable between 74% to 80% who agree:“wind farms are necessary to help us meet current
and future energy needs in the UK”
Support Embrace
• We know that attitudes won’t change overnight
• But we are confident that our strategy is right
• Why? Because we are
– Giving people the opportunity to experience wind energy– And the facts to understand it– And the chance to speak out in its favour