vgbe energy journal 7 (2022) - International Journal for Generation and Storage of Electricity and Heat

IEA – Empowering people to act
Fig. 1. Saving money, example. America saves (2021). 12 ways to save energy and money, https://
americasaves.org/resource-center/insights/12-ways-to-save-energy-and-money/.
2 The environmental approach: the Become
Part of the solution campaign directly
links climate change to the threatened extinction
of polar bears and recommends
energy efficiency action as a key part of
the solution.
3 The social approach: messages relating to
being a good citizen, appealing to social
norms or the general good. These messages
are particularly relevant during an
energy crisis, as with the 1973 Danish energy
crisis, more recent energy supply
pressures in Japan and Korea, and the
current energy crisis resulting from Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine.
Experience shows that a campaign is more
likely to succeed when based on messages
and narratives that are:
––
Targeted: Different messages work with
different audiences, so research is important
to help define the campaign audience
and refine the messages that will resonate.
For example, the Government of India
tapped into the potential for children
to positively influence adults’ behaviour
in the ‘Save energy, make country’ campaign,
the Egyptian Electricity Ministry
chose the message ‘You are the solution.
Don’t be too lazy to turn off an appliance’
and repeatedly diffused it over multiple
platforms, while ‘Michigan Saves’ chose a
campaign based on crime drama genre,
‘Avoid your energy drama’.
––
Relatable: An effective campaign communicates
with the target audience in terms
that resonate with their lives – few people
talk about ‘energy efficiency’ on a daily basis,
but they do talk about saving energy,
climate related events or how the recent
energy crisis is costing them money. For
example, the Dutch campaign, Zet ook de
knop om (Flip the Switch) relates energy
action to current events. (F i g u r e 2 )
Focusing on the multiple benefits of energy
efficiency such as health and wellbeing, or
comfort, can help people relate to the topic.
By talking about addressing comfort levels,
the Let’s live warmer campaign in Lithuania
increased the number of applications for
home renovations by four-fold in two years
from 2009 to 2011. The Wisconsin focus on
energy project highlights the concept of a
person’s energy ‘footprint’ and shares local
success stories to promote local relevant and
repeatable projects.
––
actionable: those receiving the messages
should be able to understand what they
are being asked to do, and easily do it. For
example, the German campaign Love 80
Million is a cross societal call to action,
with clear information on the measures to
be taken to save energy. Similarly, the recent
Danish campaign, Én ting er sikkert.
Og det er grønt (One thing is certain. And
it is green) offers simple tips on saving
electricity and heat during the summer
months.
––
hitting the correct tone: Different tones
connect with different categories of people,
and can help to convey the message
more clearly. Successful behavioural
change messages entertain, engage and
educate the target audience. Humour, for
example Smart Meters: Einstein’s Bath
(UK), can successfully go viral on social
media. In other contexts, more serious
emotional messages may be more appropriate,
for example the ``live life give life’’
organ donor campaign which combined a
well-known actor and a popular song with
a strong message. When the situation is
urgent, a crisis message can evoke an immediate
response such as the stronger
tone in this Japanese campaign or the use
of more urgent and direct climate messaging
such as the climate clock.
Testing messages and narratives with relevant
audiences in advance is key. A greater
understanding of what resonates with different
groups allows the campaign to be
fine-tuned, making a huge difference in a
campaign’s success.
Getting the message across
While tailoring the message for a specific audience
is key, packaging the message and
Fig. 2. SparEnergi.dk (Danish Energy Agency’s website on electricity consumption) (2022).
Én ting er sikkert. Og det er grønt: https://sparenergi.dk/forbruger/en-ting-er-sikkert-ogdet-er-gront.
sharing it widely is equally important. Governments
have historically used public service
announcements to share information
on new programmes and services. Behavioural
campaigns share some features with
public service announcements but tend to
go further by inspiring people to act. To get
messages across, the following best practices
have emerged from current and previous
campaigns:
––
Using impactful visuals to attract attention
and increase shareability via social
media. Germany’s “80 Millionen gemeinsam
für Energiewechsel” (80 million together
for energy change) campaign features
people and refers to the population
of the country, thus creating making it
more relatable and promoting a sense of a
community. (F i g u r e 3 )
––
Engaging with key industry players early
on to ensure their commitment and future
support. For instance, the Netherlands actively
involved industry, prominent NGOs
and foundations in its Zet ook de knop om
(Flip the switch) campaign. Making industry
an early ally is key to leveraging
private sector resources and experience
with advertising and the media. A prominent
example is Velux’s The Indoor Gen-
Fig. 3 German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (2022). “80 Millionen
gemeinsam für Energiewechsel” (80 million together for energy change):
https://www.energiewechsel.de/KAENEF/Navigation/DE/Home/home.html.
72 | vgbe energy journal 7 · 2022