Carbon Intelligence (Ci): How revealing the truth about buildings’ emissions during lockdown got the attention of Corporate Real Estate

The Campaign

Using Carbon Intelligence’s cutting-edge remote emissions monitoring systems, HeadOn PR brought the shocking data of buildings’ substantial energy wastage to public and industry attention – positioning Ci’s at the forefront of the challenges facing businesses as they strive to be carbon neutral.  

Our Client
Positioned as innovative sustainability experts, Ci’s mission is to be the market leader in helping business play its part in building a zero carbon world. Focused on the commercial real estate, legal, retail, technology, and hotel sectors, they provide the roadmap and actions to support organisations in achieving ambitious carbon reduction targets as part of a net zero pathway.

Ci brings together a world-class team of strategists, technologists, data scientists and engineers to deliver fresh thinking and evidence-based programmes that connect sustainability with business value, and sees them leading at the forefront of environmental progress.

Raising Ci’s brand nationally and in CRE

To facilitate Ci in achieving its mission, HeadOn PR was given the key objective of building brand awareness in their primary industry sectors, with a particular focus on increasing media coverage within commercial real estate. Raising the brand profile on a national level would also support Carbon Intelligence in activating the positivity of businesses, and using the power of their data to create long-term sustainability change.

Businesses failed to switch off

As the UK went into lockdown on the 23 March 2020 and we were all encouraged to work from home wherever possible, offices across the country shut and 60% of the UK’s adult population continued their job remotely. Assumptions would suggest that the energy savings for businesses would be massive, with heating, lighting and IT systems being switched off in offices on a national scale.

CI’s data uncovered a very different story.

Using Ci’s smart building technologies to remotely analyse 300 buildings from 25 to 31 March 2020, it found that there was only a 16% average reduction in building energy use since the ‘stay at home’ orders were issued.

Where buildings were performing the best, the findings revealed a 54% reduction in energy usage, and this resulted in a saving of £4,200 per week for a large office building. At a time when businesses’ financial prospects were worryingly uncertain and the potential to reduce greenhouse gases greater than ever with lockdown, remote energy monitoring and control was an ever more important message to communicate to help save costs, keep emissions down and improve the planet.

With the end date for the lockdown unknown, these insights into energy savings were time-sensitive in their potential for helping businesses make change. Swift action was required to effectively showcase Ci as the leader in strategies for cutting building emissions and supporting businesses to become more cost and energy-efficient.

HeadOn PR devised the idea for a story, supported by Ci’s buildings’ data, and launched a PR campaign, working with our media contacts to gain national and industry-specific traction. At the centre of the campaign, Cian Duggan, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Ci, provided further insight into the data and how smart buildings technology could help businesses have greater control over their building’s performance and make substantial savings at a time when it mattered most.

Grabbing media and customer interest

As the campaign launched on the 21 April, interest was generated both nationally and within the industries targeted.

The Results

Grabbing media and customer interest

As the campaign launched on the 21 April, interest was generated both nationally and within the industries targeted.

Obtaining 14 pieces of media coverage in a matter of days, the story was estimated to have an online reach of 60.4 million. A prominent feature in the leading commercial property magazine, Estates Gazette indicated the extent of the impact of the story within CRE, as with few media outlets, obtaining coverage in this sector is notoriously challenging.

Headlining in the national publication, i News, and with internet search giant, MSN, brought this campaign firmly into public awareness, with website views totalling nearly an estimated 810 million per month.

Significant media attention was also achieved from environmental-focused business publications. Articles were published in Business Green, the UK’s leading source of information for the green economy, Planet Unplugged, a publisher of climate-focused journalism, and Greenbiz, a recognised catalyst for thought leadership in aligning environmental responsibility with profitable business practices.

As well as the notable coverage in Estates Gazette, HeadOn PR achieved the goal of boosting brand awareness within the target industries for Carbon Intelligence with publications in Workplace Insight, one of the world’s leading platforms for workplace news, and FMJ, the number one magazine for facilities management.

Environmental benefit had been seen as one of the few upsides to the pandemic, so these disconcerting insights led to widespread engagement on social media; over 76 shares across Facebook and Twitter, 170 reactions and 30 comments in a few days.

Throughout the PR releases, Carbon Intelligence offered top tips for businesses to cut building emissions and save costs during lockdown. By adding value to the readers in this way, the brand built upon its reputation as a sustainability expert and boosted its lead generation and the potential of new business from this campaign.

Key media highlights

  • Headlined in the i News and with internet search giant, MSN
  • Prominent feature in the leading commercial property magazine, Estates Gazette
  • Articles in Business GreenPlanet UnpluggedGreenbiz
  • 14 media hits in just a few days
  • The story reached over 60 million of Ci’s customers online
  • Shared on Facebook & Twitter 76+ times; generating 170 reactions & 30 comments in days
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