Renewable Energy Markets Conference: Obama Girl, Digital Media and a Bright Outlook

Brian Hall
September 22nd, 2009

What a great experience it was participating in the 2009 Renewable Energy Markets

conference recently. I headed home to Chicago more excited than ever about the future of renewable energy.

Certainly the industry faces its share of challenges. But the overall outlook seems very bright, and I am more convinced than ever that PR — both traditional and digital/social media — can play a big role in helping the industry and individual companies capitalize on the opportunity.

Congratulations to Gabe Petlin of 3Degrees, who is the winner of the iPod touch we gave away as part of the Gibbs & Soell Renewable Energy Industry Pulse Check regarding digital and social media.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in the survey. I sincerely enjoyed discussing it with fellow attendees throughout the event, and unveiling the results during the Media and Perception panel (even if I did get overshadowed by Obama Girl; kudos to my fellow panelist Brian Keane of Smart Power on a great campaign with her — the song is still in my head).

For those who didn’t see my presentation during Renewable Energy Markets, the results were quite interesting. While more than 80% of respondents said they were either “somewhat” or “very” comfortable with recommending the use of digital and social media for their organization’s PR and marketing communications efforts, the majority also said their organization was dedicating less than 10% of their communications budget to it.

And very few organizations said they are using tools like blogs, micro-blogs, LinkedIn, and viral video to communicate with their target audience. As I mentioned during the panel discussion, many renewable energy constituents are using these tools already to consume information and interact with others about renewable energy and sustainability.

This speaks to an opportunity for renewable energy organizations to syndicate their content and messages across these platforms and use them as a way to engage in dialogue with their specific audiences.

But, remember, you have to follow a strategy-first approach. The overall communications strategy should drive the integration of these tools into your communications programs — not the other way around.

You can find the full results of the Gibbs & Soell survey by clicking here.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in the survey and attended our session during the Renewable Energy Markets conference. It was fun for me, and I hope it was informative for you.

Posted in Digital Dialogue | No Comments »

Shooting Par on the Course Toward Renewable Energy

Brian Hall
September 8th, 2009

Visiting Central Illinois recently to play a little golf with my dad, I was excited that the course had a view of a wind farm. Although my own enthusiasm for the scenery was somewhat hindered by a disappointing back nine, to me the wind turbines are a sign of real progress in the battle against climate change.

 

As highlighted in recent Wall Street Journal and USA Today stories, however, those turbines are whipping up brisk winds of “not in my backyard” among local residents and environmentalists. Recent headlines regarding the markets for renewable energy have been mixed as well — with positive news about wind energy and the U.S. government’s program to stimulate renewable energy investment balanced against reports such as the one showing biofuels aren’t fairing as well due to the recession and falling oil prices.

 

For communicators in this sector, breaking through the clutter of mixed news, green hype and opposition is probably more challenging than it is for me to break 90. And while traditional PR certainly can and should play a role, it seems like the opportunity is ripe for digital and social media, especially as channels to reach business, regional and niche audiences.

 

Among the supporters of renewable energy are many passionate fans who believe strongly in the cause. Providing them with the tools and forums to carry your message can be more credible and effective than any company-sponsored communication could ever be. In addition, search engines, blogs, YouTube, Twitter, webinars and other digital media yield increasing influence over business decision makers. And getting your supporters involved in generating positive dialogue is a great way to address the critics — and even begin to bring them on your side.

It appears industry marketers are embracing these tools. Initial results from our “Renewable Energy Digital and Social Media Pulse Check” show the majority are using digital media to communicate with their target audiences.

 

Of course, having a powerful medium at your disposal means nothing if you don’t also have a powerful message that resonates with your target audience. Messages with more aspirational themes have been less successful. The key is to position these offerings as real and practical on an individual level.

 

The critical combination of clear messaging and precise outreach is what I plan to explore during my upcoming speaking engagement at the Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Atlanta (shameless plug: come see me on the “Media and Perception” panel at 1:30, Tuesday, Sept. 15).

 

Stay tuned for additional insight from our “Pulse Check.” I will unveil final results during the conference. Afterward we’ll share the results via The Spark and e-mail as well.

Posted in "Shovel-Ready", Digital Dialogue, Going Green, Media and Marketing | 1 Comment »