Climate change is one of the most significant issues facing the UK, with innovations into finding alternative energy sources becoming of increasing importance in the media and beyond.
Northern Gas Networks is well positioned to explore the country’s views on alternative energy and opportunities for green growth in the North of England. Our aim was to create a campaign that aligned NGN with being at the heart of developments surrounding meeting the UK’s net-zero-carbon targets.
Key to our strategy was a robust research report delivered in partnership with Teesside University and YouGov. New insight captured via nationwide and North of England surveys, along with in-depth stakeholder interviews, enabled us to investigate economic and environmental priorities and the opportunities for strengthening communities and for green growth as part of the post pandemic recovery.
Positioning NGN as thought leaders within the sustainability debate, the report included pertinent recommendations ahead of COP26 while highlighting the pioneering work NGN is delivering to support a transition to hydrogen as a fuel for the future.
In addition, a broader programme of activity, designed to position NGN as a responsible business in the region, included coordinating NGN’s press and social media support for collaborative events delivered with industry partners, such as the in-school Solutions for the Planet project that invites children to share their ideas for solving sustainability issues. In six months we achieved 92 pieces of coverage, with a reach of 17 million.
Quick fire creative campaigns helped to create opportunities for engagement, whether aimed at primary school pupils or the elderly, seeing an uplift in competition entries of 5,000% on previous years and securing spots on local TV.