Kurio

Wärtsilä, a pioneering energy technology company from Finland leads the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future. Their solutions cover future-fuel enabled balancing power plants, hybrid solutions, energy storage and optimisation technology. // The COP27 was held in Egypt in 2022 and we saw an opportunity to make an impact in one of our key growth markets: Africa. Our data-based modelling showed a way for a sustainable energy future for Africa but we needed a creative angle to get our message through. COP27 was organised in Egypt, which gave Wärtsilä Energy an opportynity to create impact in their African target countries. // We knew there was a way for Africa towards sustainable energy systems. Our datamodelling showed how Africa could take a leap towards them by harnessing an abundance of local resources. // But how can a Finnish technology company get the attention of an entire continent in a topic that’s very politicized by local parties, in an industry that’s ruled by major players such as GE and Siemens.

1) Inspire confidence that a transition to renewable energy systems is possible in developing economies across Africa by demonstrating Wärtsilä's solutions 2) Position Wärtsilä at the vanguard of energy transition in the region in a crucial period leading to COP27 //// KPIs were as follows: Campaign ROI > 100% // Media coverage > 25M // Measurable local impact among decision makers

Our strategy was boilt down to three main points: 1) We knew have the facts. What we don’t have is the attention. So we need something to catch the eye. 2) Anyone can create conversation. We need to tie our solutions as Wärtsilä into the message. 3) We need a look and feel native to Africa. More specifically, our three target countries.

#Leapfrogging4Africa // History has enough of outsiders telling Africans what to do. We knew we needed a different approach. // In the short period of time leading to COP27 we tied our message to a term related to energy transition: leapfrogging. Since the term didn’t exist in African languages, we teamed up with language practicioners to come up with a term in their languages. We ended up creating 10 new words in different African languages and turned them into the fuel for our campaign and content. // To get the attention, we turned the local language practicioners into spokespersons on a video series. Alongside those, we did an internal spokesperson campaign focusing on local staff. // From all touchpoints we directed people to our whitepapers: one continent-level and three market-specific reports, demonstrating pathways for Africa’s energy future. // A press outreach was done firstly for local media and secondly for global media attending COP27.

QUANTITATIVE RESULTS: Campaign ROI: 684% (the value of media coverage/investment) // Media hits: 78 (including Politico, Channel Africa and City A.M.) // Reach: 165 M // Media coverage views: 235K // Earned media value: 308.000 EUR // Engagement: 2,4X better than ave on Twitter, 2,2X better on LinkedIn // CPC: 10X lower than our goal on Twitter, and 2X lower on LinkedIn //// QUALITATIVE RESULTS: We got to participate in a panel discussion at COP27 on energy transition. // The campaign resulted in discussions with key decision-makers – ministries, customers, governments and regulators – in the target countries. The highlight being a meeting with the president of Mozambique. // It even resulted in mindset changes on how to look at future energy systems in the countries. A case in point: this interview with Prof Anton Eberhard, a prominent voice in the energy sector (and also former advisor on energy policy to the President of South Africa): https://iono.fm/e/1282780 . Prof Anton has publicly applauded our white paper in other forums, too. // Another positive reference can be found with a CBM field owner, Bastion Oil, that quotes and praises the paper in his article published here: https://www.bastionoil.com/rsa-onshore-gas-keep-the-reasons-for-onshore-gas-exploration-simple-part-2/ //// But most importantly, we managed to show how Nigeria can cut electricity costs by 74% on its path to net zero by 2060, how South Africa can solve its load-shedding dilemma and save $26Bn by 2032, and how Mozambique can reduce emissions and save $84M by 2032.