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A quick glance at power emissions or electric vehicle (EV) sales gives the impression the UK is on the fast track to net zero. But when attention turns to heating, we are still tentatively making our way over the first few hurdles. The picture is similar across Europe. Engineers and innovators have developed a range of different sustainable solutions for the heating market. The task now becomes communicating with the public and bringing them onboard the decarbonisation of heat journey.
This blog will walk you through four ways we can decarbonise heating and the communications challenges they face.
Heat pumps
There are three types of heat pump; air, water and ground source. Aside from the space needed, the technology around them is largely the same. The simplest way of thinking about them is a fridge in reverse. Heat is pulled from the air, the water, or the pipes in the ground and transferred to a coolant and then compressed using electricity. It’s the compression here that generates the heat to warm your home.
Heat pumps typically pump round water that’s slightly cooler than the system you’ll have now. This makes reducing draughts and heat loss vital. New builds and well-insulated houses will still feel warm with a heat pump, but your heating will likely be on for longer.
This is one communication challenge, but grid concerns also need addressing. Adding demand to the grid in winter, when it’s already higher, leaves some to argue electrification of heating is not the right approach. The industry needs to counter this concern and celebrate the additional grid flexibility heat pumps can offer, especially given the hidden costs of flexibility.
District heating
District heating or heat networks typically supply heat to local homes or buildings from a central plant through a network of pipes. Quite often, these are thought of using combined heat and power plants (CHP) or biomass boilers but the innovation hasn’t stopped there! I’m sure many of you are familiar with the heat you feel on the Northern line – well, that waste heat is heating homes and schools in Islington thanks to district heating.
That is part of the problem with district heating, though, whether CHP or waste heat it’s best used in crowded city areas where off-takers are close by. Heat doesn’t transport as efficiently as electricity or hydrogen.
Unlike heat pumps, individual customers can’t decide to go green and join a district heating network. But there lacks the pressure for more heat networks to be installed. European cities lead the way in embedding district heating into city plans, so proving the technology works isn’t the communications challenge. Creating a desire for change, and following our European neighbours is where the challenge lies.
Hydrogen
You’ll be hard-pressed to avoid talk of hydrogen at the moment – whether using electrolysis for surplus renewable energy or in oil and gas facilities – it’s definitely the buzzword. This excitement is also spilling into the heating debate.
Trials are underway to add a blend of hydrogen, including at Keele University, into the gas grid so current boilers can still be used, but ultimately to run on a 100% hydrogen system we’ll need to install new boilers into homes. Although still using existing gas infrastructure, a retrofit challenge of this nature will require some clear and concise communications. The digital switchover for televisions might just be a better model than the smart meter roll-out. Boilers are rarely a decision made with the luxury of time – they break and we need to replace them. Whether it’s being ready for that decision with hydrogen-ready boilers on the shelves or convincing people to trade up before it breaks, the messages need to start landing now.
I won’t get into the blue, green, grey hydrogen debate but that presents another area for communications to focus on.
Heat batteries
Heat batteries are a newer innovation to the heating market – in fact, Caldera has just closed a crowdfunding round to help with proving the concept, so don’t expect to install one in time for this winter.
Image by Caldera Photograph : Luke MacGregor
Heat batteries work in a similar way to a thermos flask – vacuums keep the water hot until it is needed to be pumped around the home. Like a heat pump, electricity is their fuel, but a quick heating response is available on-demand, more like your traditional heating system.
They’re likely to be suited to older, draughtier homes as consumers can make a greener choice today, without the upfront cost of insulation or underfloor heating you will likely need with a heat pump.
The heating market is being disrupted, so heat batteries are less able to claim they are the disrupter with their communications narrative work, but as a new technology, they’ll need to quickly carve out their niche to prevent heat pumps stealing a march on their potential customers.
Regardless of technology, green heating needs to take centre stage both in the UK and beyond. Get in touch to find out how we can help shape your messaging and deliver a communications campaign to take customers from prospect to warm lead.
Since its proliferation, COVID-19 has served to expand and exacerbate existing gaps within society, from healthcare and housing, to education, to technology. In Ethiopia and Nigeria, for example, the richest 20% of households were much more likely to have children engaging in any learning activity after school closures than the bottom 20%, according to the World Bank.
Consequently, the call for social justice is being amplified, and responsible investing is on the rise. In this blog, we consider: how has COVID-19 helped to shape the landscape of impact investing, and – fraught with hurdles, obstacles, and acronyms – how can an effective communications strategy help to navigate this world?
An unlikely weapon: capital market response
Since the start of the pandemic, interest in social justice issues among investors, as well as companies and governments issuing debt, has recently exploded. According to the Climate Bonds Initiative, of the $400 billion in sustainable debt issuance in 2019, social bonds made up about 5% ($20 billion).
But social bonds are on the rise. In April 2020, $32 billion of “social” and “sustainability” bonds were issued, according to Morgan Stanley – the first month in which social and sustainability bond issuance surpassed green bonds. And in October 2020, the EU issued a €17 billion social bond, the second largest ever issued, to fund the union’s job support programme. The issuance was more than 13 times oversubscribed by investors, the EU said, indicating significant demand for socially-minded investments. It is clear that, while historically, significant weight was placed on the “E” factors in ESG, with “S” and “G” factors somewhat ignored, corporations and investors alike are beginning to broaden the scope of their consideration ESG, realising that this is the only way to facilitate a truly just transition.
Effective comms is key
As this surge plays out, concerns around “social-washing” – the social and sustainable debt equivalent of “greenwashing”, whereby an issuer may misrepresent the social impact of the projects being financed by such investments – are growing.
So what is the most effective way for players across the entire financial community to best understand the ABCs of ESG and avoid the proliferation of such misinformation?
In addition to guiding regulations by organisations like the LMA and ICMA, which will help to ensure transparency and standardisation among social and sustainability bond issuance, effective, accurate communication when it comes to ESG investing can be beneficial for all players.
For companies looking to issue this type of loan, clarity and transparency around the use of proceeds, reporting, additionality and governance will help secure subscription and mitigate against accusations of green- or social-washing.
And for asset managers and impact investors looking to expand their portfolios, an effective PR and communications strategy is equally useful. Not only can it provide internal clarity and messaging so everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet, but it can help improve legitimacy and establish a discourse that can attract new partners and clients.
After 32 years at the Bank of England, the current senior economist at Threadneedle Street – Andy Haldane – is moving on to new pastures. His departure as one of the top dogs at the Bank of England will leave the oldest and first central bank without his valuable experience. But as communication with the public on economic matters becomes increasingly important, he will also be missed for his ability to communicate.
A quick search of Andy Haldane on the internet will yield a whole host of articles, conference talks and video interviews. He is the media darling of economics. Despite the seriousness and complexity of the subject matter his role involves, he has a deft touch for comms with engaging soundbites and funny anecdotes which readers of CityAM, the FT, Times, Evening Standard and the Daily Mail can all connect to and understand.
A recent example of his communication prowess came in an interview with Nick Ferrari of LBC. A summary of the soundbites reveals a tour de force in catchy and engaging language. When talking about the UK economy, he described the economic situation as “going gangbusters” and when describing the role the UK government played in supporting the UK economy he praised Rishi Sunak saying “the Chancellor has played a blinder, we went in big and we went in fast.”
Whether you agree with him or not, the tone and the language is perfect for the medium and audience of LBC. While some may reel at his colloquial turn of phrase, he understands that to get people’s attention and to make the message relatable you’ve got to part ways with corporate speak and economic jargon. Ultimately, no one wants to hear or read statements taken straight from a chunky White Paper or data report.
Down to a combination of natural ability and carefully thought-out conscious comms decisions he has cemented his position as a go-to for news outlets. He has done what is rare, if not unheard of for economists: won the hearts of the public. His role and seniority at the Bank of England have certainly helped, but his way with words and boldness in ditching the kind of drawl that comes from so many economists is ultimately what has got reporters coming back for more.
All economists, CEO and experts should take note of Haldane’s success. Being able to distill complicated information down in a way that is intelligible and memorable is an indefensible skill. Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam proved the case of this during the pandemic. He became central to boosting confidence in the vaccine programme after he became known for his football analogies. People don’t want to be talked down to or patronised but they don’t want to be bored into submission by a series of dull economic forecasts.
Whoever follows in Haldane’s footsteps must resist the urge to fade into the background. The Bank of England is a core institution and yet, beyond the Governor, few will be able to name anyone who works there. They should seize the chance to educate the public and shape the narrative around the current state of the UK economy.
Aspectus, global PR and digital marketing agency, announces six account wins for its technology team. Aspectus was also recently recognised as the 2nd top B2B comms agency according to PRWeek’s Top 150 2021 rankings.
Fintech:
Payments bank, Banking Circle appointed Aspectus for its tech PR brief. Aspectus is working closely with Banking Circle’s lead PR agency, Harrison Sadler.
Emburse, expense and accounts payable automation leader, also joins Aspectus’ books. The agency won following a competitive pitch process to manage its UK communications.
Aspectus won the global PR brief for AI-based healthtech firm Infermedica. The company’s customers include Allianz and Microsoft. Aspectus is handling its European and US PR, focusing mainly on media relations and content.
Aspectus also landed Europe’s largest wholesale telecoms service provider, BT Wholesale to manage its partner channel communications in the UK. Recent campaigns have seen Aspectus supporting across multiple teams.
It also won a European integrated PR account for Clavister, specialising in network security software and listed on NASDAQ First North.
VC:
In addition, after working alongside Stockholm-based multi-stage VC fund EQT Ventures, handling its UK brief for four years, Aspectus recently won its US PR brief. The fund is based in Luxembourg and has investment advisors across Stockholm, Amsterdam, London, San Francisco, Berlin and Paris.
Karen Heaven, Head of Marketing, BT Wholesale comments: “I was impressed by Aspectus’ results-focused approach and in-depth technical and audience knowledge. And having worked with the Aspectus team previously, I knew they would deliver. Since working with the team again, we’ve taken BT Wholesale’s brand to new heights from continuous award wins through to integrated campaigns driving leads. Plus, we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.”
Sofie Skouras, Deputy Head of Tech at Aspectus comments: “We’re big believers in building meaningful and long-standing relationships, so I’m chuffed to welcome such interesting and high-profile companies to our existing stable of brilliant clients. The past year has had its challenges, but thanks to our talented team, we’re demonstrating tangible results through our focus on integrated communications. We’re cautiously optimistic about the future and actively recruiting to help this growth.”
We’re currently recruiting across all our sectors, to find out more about current opportunities and our award-winning culture click here.
The global energy landscape is coming of age. Its voice is changing. It looks different, dresses different. From the solar park to the smart grid, the oilfield to the office, every inch of the energy sector in every part of the globe is undergoing a transition. For some it is decarbonization, for others digitalization, decentralization or decommissioning – but there is one common trend: it’s always transformative. And when I think coming-of-age transformations, I think Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries, or Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles. I think about the many trope-heavy, lesson-rich coming-of-age movies I grew up with.
A key trope undergirding many of these movies is that, by the end of the film, most central characters have undergone some sort of character arc. If successful, the audience comes away empathizing with and supporting them, having gained a better sense of their complex inner lives and backstory. For businesses to come out of the energy transition as protagonists, they need to understand their current status on the playground and be able to control their own character arc. So, wherever you sit within the energy spectrum – fossil fuels, cleantech, smart grid, carbon trading, or somewhere in between – you better sit up and pay attention. Roll call.
First up, the indie kid – renewables. They might have started the movie in the shadows but they have taken off their glasses and now everyone knows who they are. Innovative renewable energy technologies are the lifeblood of the energy transition – from mature technologies such as offshore wind and solar, to emerging technologies including wave and tidal. But no one can ever stay the new kid on the block for long. As the market becomes increasingly crowded, renewables won’t have long to chew pencils. It’s time to show people exactly what they stand for and why they’re here. Their move.
Then we have everybody’s best friend – the nice guy, aka energy services. The ultimate wingman, he’s always there to pump you up or lend a helping hand. But don’t be mistaken – he’s got plenty going on beneath the surface. There’s a whole ecosystem of interconnected technical and business services: consultancies, recruiters, cybersecurity companies, traders, investors. Energy services just need the right character development to elevate them from sidekick to protagonist.
At the front of the class, we have the team player: heat and buildings. They’re the one everyone wants on their team projects. In the current global assignment to achieve net zero, the role of decarbonizing heat and buildings cannot be overstated. Yet the team player is complex and often misunderstood. Despite sustainable heat, infrastructure and materials being front and centre of the energy transition, they’re often not sufficiently recognized as such. From heat networks, electrification and energy performance to Passivhaus, sustainable building materials and hydrogen – the key for the heat and buildings sector to progress from just smart to smart and popular and the ability to translate complex messages into memorable communications. Cue iconic speech.
In the computer room, we have the ‘A.V. club’ or tech heads – the power sector. Generation, transmission, distribution, flexibility: the power sector is at the frontline of the energy transition, and is much more than the technology required to produce and distribute electricity. Unfortunately, they’re not always seen as the coolest kid in school. In fact, people often take their technical know-how for granted. It’s time for the power sector to grab a megaphone or hijack the loudspeaker if they want a say in how the rest of the movie pans out.
The one who’s too cool for school – transport. Transportation is well-known in the energy landscape for bringing ‘sexy’ innovations and ideas. See: vehicle connectivity, autonomous driving, and the sharing economy – Transport as a Service (TaaS). They seem a bit more mature than their peers – undergoing particularly rapid transformation in the decarbonization space. But to finish the movie as more than a meme of the contemporary zeitgeist, the cool kid needs to make sure they’re leaving their own bubble and looking outwards. With effective communication and collaboration, transportation can transform businesses and societies around the world.
Finally, who could forget the older kids – oil and gas. They’ve started the movie at the top of the food chain. But be careful, coming-of-age films don’t always work in their favor. Only those who are self-aware and able to move with the changing tide will safeguard their reputation. Oil and gas businesses must navigate a complex interplay of macroeconomic events, growing ESG demands and their impact on businesses on the ground. From start-ups to multinationals and oilfield services to operators, to maintain social status they need to ensure their brand stays relevant in a low cost, low carbon world.
Audience attitudes and expectations are coming of age as well. Much like in Hollywood, authenticity, celebration of diversity and pushing the boundaries are all ‘in’. Businesses must adapt their communications strategies to ensure they don’t get lost in the crowd when the final school bell rings.
That’s where Aspectus comes in. You might not find us quoted anywhere in IMDb, but we like to think our consultative communications advice and creative campaigns would win us an Academy Award or two for Best Supporting Actor. Think a combination of Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid and Frankie Avalon in Grease. As one of the most well-connected international communications agencies specializing in the energy sector, we are helping to hone and communicate the ‘character development’ of our clients at every step of the energy transition, ensuring they don’t end up as villains, or forgotten altogether on the cutting room floor, but go down in history as progressive, memorable, popular lead characters.
After years of dominance, the government is looking to shake up the audit landscape and challenge the oligopoly of the Big Four. The industry consultation is currently underway but we know the government has intentions to “unleash competition”.
An overhaul of audit as intended will undoubtedly open up opportunities for accountancy firms who have waited patiently for a chance to get a fair foot in the door.
But they are not alone. The intent is competition, and lots of firms will be moving to get a slice of the action.
It’s like a big game of hungry hippos.
Suddenly, the market will be awash with new audit business, with hundreds of firms scrambling to gather as much of the business as possible.
So, what’s the best course of action for those in audit? To gain an advantage, companies are going to have to find a way to stand out, which means taking a different approach. Fortune favours those who think differently, so it’s imperative to embrace new methods of driving leads.
How successfully a firm reacts to this new legislation will define the future of its business. So, in this game of hippos, be the one that brings a net to the game and scoop up that extra business.
At Aspectus, we specialise in turning start-ups and disruptors into household names. We know what it takes to make a brand stand out and have helped countless smaller firms take market share from their larger counterparts.
Get in touch if you want to find out how we can help you.
As we approach the latest update to Google’s algorithm, it is clear that user experience (UX) has never been more important to websites’ search engine rankings. UX and user engagement go hand in hand – not only will websites with strong UX be rewarded by Google’s algorithm, but it will also result in increased user engagement which, in turn, helps boost rankings.
Let’s have a look at what factors affect UX and how brands can best position themselves to take advantage of the upcoming changes.
User experience and engagement factors
Page Experience update
An important new ranking factor which Google will take into consideration is Page Experience, which incorporates Core Web Vitals (visual stability, interactivity and loading) with other factors including mobile optimisation.
Measuring these web vitals will help give companies further insight into the quality of experience they are providing to their users. Responsive, mobile-optimised web designs are the order of the day.
This is important. Google explains that, although Page Experience does not diminish the need for good content, it can be a much more important factor for visibility in search when it comes to distinguishing between multiple pages with similar levels of relevance.
Originally scheduled for mid-May, Google recently announced the postponement of its Page Experience algorithm update launch to mid-June, giving site owners some additional time to prepare.
User intent
Another important factor is semantic search. Updates and models such as the 2013 Hummingbird update and BERT have greatly improved Google’s ability to understand the context of words and the intent behind searches and, as a result, better match users with relevant results.
This means producing content which is not only optimised for target keywords but also really understands and addresses the user’s intention is vital. As an added bonus, this also results in lower bounce rates (the rate of users who click on a website then exit that same page without taking any action).
Bounce rate, dwell time, pages per session
Bounce rate, dwell time (amount of time a user spends on the page they’ve clicked on before returning to SERPs) and pages per session (how many pages a user visits on a website during one session) are also significant engagement metrics to indicate how relevant and valuable a visitor finds a page and website.
Google is still yet to confirm whether bounce rate and pages per session are considered in the ranking algorithm. But website owners should look to track and improve them to indirectly improve dwell time, which, as a metric that only search engines can access, is almost certainly a ranking factor.
Increasing user engagement
Multimedia content
There are many ways to boost user engagement that are great for SEO. One example is including multimedia content in your website. Embedding videos and infographics is not only a great way to break up page copy and convey information in an eye-catching way, but can also increase users’ time spent on pages. Wistia found that videos more than double user time spent on pages.
Going further, a sure-fire way to capture a user’s attention is to provide value with an interactive tool. From online quizzes to responsive chatbots, occupying someone’s time by having them interact with a feature is great for SEO and user experience. Augmented reality isn’t new technology, but it is now going mainstream, such as with eyewear retailers allowing users to virtually try on products. The use of Augmented reality on a website is great for engagement and also has the potential to significantly boost revenue growth.
Include internal links
The use of well thought out internal links makes it easier for users to navigate through a website, guiding someone from one page to other related pages. For example, publishing the additional information on complex topics as a separate post and linking to it from the original piece would help increase average pages per session.
Conclusions
Search engines are notoriously secretive about revealing all of the metrics that they do and don’t include in their algorithms. So, what can you do? Measure and track the metrics that are accessible, keep up to date with the few secrets they do confirm by subscribing to our Digital Digest and keep the interests of the target audience at the forefront of all decisions.
The answer: a company that engages in greenwashing! Yes, I realise you probably guessed that from the title, but SEO and all that.
Since we started working on impact investing eight years ago, we’ve seen accusations of impact-washing and greenwashing slung back and forth in the press like so much mud. With the meteoric rise of ESG, the problem has only become more pronounced. It seems like, just as every cloud has a silver lining, every genuinely good thing brings a negative shadow along with it. A black lining, if you will.
Now, courtesy of Bloomberg Green, we have been introduced to the new term of ‘transition-washing’. Closely related to greenwashing, this describes firms using the energy transition (e.g. in the context of transition-bonds) to sell business-as-usual as novel and a step forward for the transition.
Witness the same pattern: a new concept or instrument is created to do some good in the world, someone quickly co-opts and corrupts it to achieve the opposite. As sure as night follows day.
However, in our opinion as communicators in the space, there is a vital point of nuance missing from the debate and media coverage of these phenomena.
We must distinguish between cynical and naïve green/impact/transition washing.
Intent matters hugely, as it changes the communications challenge considerably.
Cynical washing
Abandon hope (of good comms) all ye who enter here. These are the types of reputational laundry shenanigans that are intentional and done in full knowledge of their falsity. If you wanted to raise money to drill for oil in an Arctic nature reserve but to also stick a wind turbine on top and raise a greenbond, well, short of some truly spectacular mental contortions, you would know exactly what you are doing.
As comms professionals who haven’t quite contracted out all of our integrity (I like to maintain a strategic reserve), we can’t and won’t help you here. Even setting aside the moral question, it’s not worth our own reputations.
Naïve washing
This is a quite different matter – but it may not be seen that way by the press and other external stakeholders, which is why it’s where expert communications support can be most effective.
There are companies out there saving rainforests and installing solar panels, and there are those drilling like it’s going out of style and sowing misinformation about climate science. But there are a lot more companies in between.
These are the companies that may not be flawless, and may not have a pro-climate product or service at the heart of their offering, but nonetheless are making good faith attempts to be better.
The problem is, they may not always get it right. Or they may have some limited success but over-claim their impact with super eager communications. For example, a firm may switch 10% of its heavy goods fleet to hydrogen and rightly celebrate it, but it can’t act like the other 90% of diesel vehicles aren’t there – at least not without inviting censure.
If claims are made prematurely (i.e. before the programme is successful), without the right contexts or caveats, or overzealously, then the company in question opens itself up to claims of green/impact/transition washing just the same as the cynical example above.
Whether it deserves it or not.
That’s precisely where a company can benefit from an external communications partner – someone a step removed and not too immersed in the company culture and message, and who keeps in close contact with the relevant ESG news stories and the journalists who write them. The right agency knows which stories to push and celebrate, and which to pare down a little to avoid kickback – in other words, when and how to enhance your reputation and when and how to protect it
Gif source