Winning Hearts and Minds The UK experience

1. Winning Hearts and MindsThe UK experience Alison Hill Head of Communications BWEA

2. Learning the lesson the hard way …

3. Consensus agreement on offshore

4. UK industry standards and best practice

6. 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!

8. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. Campaign launch 20 September 2004

16. 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

17. 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

18. Advertising Embrace

20. 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

22. 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

23. A bigger Embrace The NOP Wind Tracker

24. 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”

26. Wind Weekend August Bank Holiday Weekend

29. 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’

31. A Political Embrace

32. 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

33. Analysis

34. Media coverage - favourability 466 items of coverage in total: 90% positive, 6% neutral, 4% negative

35. Coverage by media type

36. 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

37. Summary of achievements

38. 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

39. 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”

40. 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

41. Public and political support is key