Youth Energy

Challenge

Who we areBetter PR is a leading environmental PR team in the UK, based in London

Specialising in environment, lifestyle and health

Establishing strategic ways of reaching our target audience through a deep research on our audience insights

Award-winning PR agency with PR Week Awards Integrated Campaign of the year 2013

Our Clients

Inspiring leadership and

driving the transformative change that is needed for a

clean revolution

Positioned as thought leader in recycling

On their way to becoming the world’s greenest retailer

The ChallengeYoung people show interest and concern about climate change but DO NOT ENGAGE SIGNIFICANTLY in pro-environmental behaviours because of

COMPETING PRIORITIES: more pressing concerns and worries about employment, the economy, education

A SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS AND INEVITABILITY: belief that nothing can be done

A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE: it’s far away and do not affect us now

Aims

To get the conversation started about climate change and the need to cut carbon emissions

To increase involvement of young people in pro-environmental activities

To increase the association of ecology with a growing business offering career opportunities

To raise awareness of the concrete solutions available towards a low-carbon energy system

To get young people involved HERE and NOW

Objectives

Our Target Audience

18-24 olds

University Students Office Workers

In London

Why them?Members of student unions/societies are key influencers: have significant reach in youth networks, can become energy ambassadors and engage their peers

Collaborative spirit easy to unite around a project/ideology

University campuses facilitates meetings/exchanges/events

Possibility to directly reach the target audience through university internal communication: Intranet/University mail/Facebook pages/Website/Radio

Through their education, they will become the future elite and will play a crucial part in the choices that will determine the future of our planet

What they say*

* Climate Outreach and Information Network, “Young Voices Project”, October 2014

“Climate change seems so far away, it’s a very difficult thing for people to grasp. It’s really quite hard to relate its impact to people’s life. I think there is a need to make it more tangible in order to reach out young generations and start take actions at the community level”

“I’m not too aware really of the government’s policies in sort of

sustainability and energy. I know they are trying to do stuff on carbon

emissions but I couldn’t tell you what. Most of the current mainstream

politics, I wouldn’t trust them. They seem to be in a different world. I

think there is little faith in politicians amongst young people in general. I

would personally first trust my friends or family and follow their lead if I had to engage in green activities”

“I think young people do care about it but they feel guilty and powerless about it. It feels like something we can’t fight and

that it’s not our responsibility to take action. The government

should provide us with concrete solutions, show us what we can

do on our daily life and give us the opportunity to act. I think then many young people are

likely to get involved”

Joe, 24, Music studentKylie, 21, Fashion student Samantha, 22, Economics student

How to reach them?

Through:

University Professors

Green celeb: Emma Thompson

Green music band: St James Hiphoptronics

Via:

Events

Webpages

Poster/Digital Infographics

Social media

Print media

Strategy

Connect the dots between the global (warming) and the personal in an engaging positive way to involve young people HERE and NOW.

The campaign simultaneously educates on the real impacts of climate change on young people’s life and future AND provides them with positive and rewarding opportunities to take action.

Key message

Prevent Local Burning Act HERE and NOW

Main Tactic Prevent.Local.Burning Challenge

The challenge consists of engaging students in creating a “Green Society” in their university’s Student Union and is presented during a launching event taking place in central London.

Emma Thompson sponsors the challenge and gives a talk on her engagement at the launching event, creating a stunt and media coverage.

The Green Societies (max. 15 students) are challenged to build a 3 months green agenda with significant activities around the theme of clean energy/eco-friendly behaviours.

At the end of the 3 months, the Green Societies come and present their project during the Green Award Day. A local music band is invited to give small concert.

Their project is assessed by a jury from DECC looking at some relevant evidence through Instagram/Facebook/Twitter posts and likes, pictures of the activities, video reportage.

The winner Green Society goes on a volunteering trip to the Philippines to help people touched by natural disasters caused by climate change.

In partnership with and

The challenge is likely to gain popularity and engagement among young people, or at least get the conversation started in universities because of the incentive of the trip and to gain coverage from the media.

Prevent.Local.Burning Timeline

Digital Media Facebook pages, Twitter account, Microsite

Send press releases/emails/invitations

Launching Event

Green Award Day

Volunteering trip

Jan 12th

Jan 19th

Infographics

Jan 31st

May 2nd

Jun 1st -> 15th

Step 1 Digital Media

Prevent.Local.Burning Challenge Facebook page with practical information concerning the challenge , posts on eco-friendly tips, posts on green events and activities in London “Green Societies” could participate in as part of their project.

Event Facebook page promoting the Launching Event with practical information about the activity programme.

!

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!!Prevent Local Burning

Challenge !!

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Prevent.Local.Burning Twitter account:

Information about Prevent.Local.Burning Challenge activities and events

Engage key public figures on Twitter to ask for support for the campaign #Prevent.Local.Burning: green celebrities (Emma Thompson, Jamie Oliver), music bands and singers (Paolo Nutini, Bloc Party, Kasabian who played at Al Gore Live Earth concerts), BBC TV/Radio presenters (Dick Strawbridge, BBC TV presenter; Lisa L’Anson, BBC london Live DJ), green NGO (Greenpeace)

Step 1 Digital Media

Prevent.local.Burning Challenge Microsite within the DECC website: Practical information Downloadable Prevent.Local.Burning pack containing materials on the impact of climate change on people here and now (health/food/flooding/economy), Green activities programme and green agenda that can be adopted by Green Societies, concrete solutions and information about clean energies Subscription forms

Step 1 Digital Media

Step 2 Press releases/mails/

invitations

Press releases informing the media of the launch of the challenge and inviting them to the launching event.

!!!!!Monday, 12th January 2015!!!

DECC launches a green challenge for universities’ students to win a volunteering trip to the Philippines!!

This week, the Department of Energy & Climate Change launches subscriptions to the Prevent Local Burning Challenge aiming at raising awareness about climate change and engaging university students in London to get involved in green activities. The objective to get university students from Student Unions to create a “Green Society” in their own university, with the incentive to win a volunteering trip to the Philippines to help people touched by natural disasters caused by climate change. !

!Climate Change: Students Are Back

Back from the Arctic, Emma Thompson sponsors students green challenge Prevent.Local.Burning

Step 2 Press releases/mails/

invitations

Mails and phone calls to inform London universities of the challenge and ask them to engage their students by promoting the challenge on their website and spreading the word through university email (StudentUnion/Radio).

Step 2 Press releases/mails/

invitations

Invite green celeb Emma Thompson (actress, author and engaged activist) to give a short talk on climate change at the launching event.

Invite local music band St James Hiphoptronics to play at the Green Award day.

Invite ecology sector professionals to the Green Award day.

Step 3 Infographics

We created a serie of infographics representing STRIKING DATA on the impact of climate change on people here and now, the positive impact of climate change policies on the UK economy and on concrete solutions.

They also engage to participation in the Prevent.Local.Burning Challenge

The infographics will be distributed as printed posters in London universities AND as digital infographics on website/social media (Facebook).

Informs of the tangible effects of climate change on people’s lives. Shows it affects everyone.

Be part of it ! Act here and now @ gov.uk/prevent.local.burning.

links climate change with employment, career opportunities and health; seen as pressing concerns by young people. Shows to bright side, the possible positive impact of engagement against climate change on young generations future. Offer the opportunity to be part of it, act here and now by taking part of the challenge.

Be part of it ! Act here and now @ gov.uk/prevent.local.burning.

Provides young people with concrete solutions to live a greener life that are simple to adopt on daily life. Allow to involve young people and show them they can actually act against climate change. Incentive to like the Facebook page.

!Hit “like” on our Facebook page Prevent.Local. Burning.

Step 4 Launching Event

Taking place in central London

Presentation of the Prevent.Local.Burning Challenge : the Green Societies (max. 15 students) are challenged to build a 3 months green agenda with significant activities around the theme of clean energy/eco-friendly behaviours to protect THE THINGS THEY LOVE.

Presentation of the volunteering trip to win.

Lecture on the impact of climate change on people here and now (health/food/flooding/economy).

Emma Thompson’s talk on her engagement as green ambassador.

Green activities programmes and green agendas that can be adopted by Green Student Societies.

Stands with professionals working in the ecology field (connect climate change to the employment, seen as a pressing issue by young people + shows positive impact on the future with opening career opportunities).

Subscriptions to the challenge.

Step 5 Green Awards Day

Presentation and assessment of the Green Projects by a jury from DECC looking at some relevant evidence of actions through Instagram/Facebook/Twitter posts and likes, pictures of the activities, video reportage.

Local music band St James Hiphoptronics concert

Awarding trip and Green Award to the winning Green Society

Step 6 Volunteering Trip

Volunteering trip to the Philippines in Cebu island, most affected by 2013 Typhoon Hayan Disaster, caused by climate change.

Volunteers will help people touched by the disaster by bringing educational infrastructures back to order.

Press release to recall the media of the trip.

In partnership with

Evaluation

!!!Facebook likes of challenge page (2000)

Facebook participation to launching event (1000)

Twitter hashtag/followers (500/1000)

Visits to microsite (10 000)

Downloads of information pack (100)

Infographics shares (2000)

!!!!Articles on the press (15)

· Position: Page No./Front/Back · Length of article · Tone: Neutral/ Positive/Negative · Pictures

Minutes of radio coverage (20)

!!!!Prevent.Local.Burning challenge participants (150) Launching event participants (500) Green Award Day participants (200)

Budget

Microwebsite………………………………………………..£1500

Social Network development………………….……£1000

Infographics and design packs…………………..£2000

Print media.……………………………………………….£1500

Events……………………………………………………..£15 000

Volunteering trip……………………………………..…£7000

Agency fees……………..………………………………£12 000

TOTAL……………………………………………………….£40 000

Thank you

RationaleThe campaign takes into account a deep research on the audience insights to establish a strategic way of reaching the target audience: young people aged 18-24.!The first insight, consisting in young people feeling issues like the employment and the economy are more pressing than climate change is tackled by step 3 and 4: the infographics and the stands with professionals from the ecology field enlighten about a growing business, future career opportunities and connect climate change with a pressing concern for young people.!The second insight, about young people seeing climate change as a remote issue happening far away that do not involve them is tackled in step 1, 3 and 4 through the information package on microsite, infographics and talks on the launching event. It is also tackled in the key message of the campaign “Prevent.Local.Burning. Act HERE and NOW” that conveys proximity and immediacy of the issue.!The third insight consists in young people feeling powerless. It is tackled by the whole challenge which gives students the opportunity to act HERE and NOW by participating as well as through the infographics that offer simple green solutions to adopt. Finally, the volunteering trip allows young people to directly help fighting the consequence of climate change, raising awareness on its impact on people at the same time. !!The focus on that specific audience (university students) and geographic (London) allows to go deeper and engage the audience in a concrete way to respond to the need of making such a big issue as climate change more personal and tangible.!!The campaign responds to the requirements of the client by collaborating with other organisations. The partnership also allows to establish a big campaign: we believe it is necessary to tackle such a big issue relevantly. !

The outcome concerning actual participations to the challenge will be reduced (max. 15 students per university) but the primary aim of the client, “getting the conversation started”, is reached: most university students are likely to hear about the challenge and talk about it as it happens in their own university and involves winning a volunteering trip (strong incentive). We expect that the events will both attract a great amount of student because of the presence of Emma Thompson and concerts, as well as good media coverage. !

The campaign can be reiterated every year and developed further in the future, gaining on popularity and impact along time.

Laureline Baron, December 16th 2014