2. 2
1.0 Executive Summary
The following document will introduce our online content advice for the foundation Energy Challenges, a non-
profit organization founded by the major energy players in the North of the Netherlands in 2011. Energy
Challenges follows the aim to increasethe interest for energy related topics in order to create energy conscious
behaviour, which should lead to social acceptance regarding the energy transition in terms of sustainability.
We designed a strategy to help Energy Challenges adapting to a new market environment and the needs of the
English business market to achieve the foundations goal in order to expand.
Since we chose England to focus on, we thought of startingto establish the Energy Challenges in London. As in
London a high amount of schools islocated,creatinga competition between the schools isways easier. To awake
competition is essential for Energy Challenges. Thewhole Energy Challenges shaped their campaign on attracting
primary and secondary students (Age10-16) in addition wewill focuson theseschool systems.By layingemphasis
on regions with a bigger family size we aim to reach more schools in this area. Regarding the demographical
segment we will be focusingon higher income schools,meaningschools with a higher income, which are willing
and able to invest in the upgrades of the school building to make it more sustainable and energy efficient.
The creation of a cultural profileof this national group is relevantfor our casebased on the three dimensions of
Hofstede - Power Distance,Individualismand Masculinity. The most obvious difference can be noticed in terms
of masculinity which describes thatpeopleeither want to do the best (masculine) or likewhatthey do (feminine).
Sincethe English target audiencehas a higher scoreon masculinity,you have to take into accountthat referring
to competition and rewarding is one possible way of attracting the students to the program.
Moreover competitors’ marketing strategies should also be considered. Since we want to support Energy
Challenges to establish their project on the English market, it is important to identify and discover the
competitors first.After doing onlineresearch,the two main competitors of Energy Challenges in England can be
identified as Generation Green and Eco Schools.
Choosingthe positioningof providingan entertaining and effective program in order to educate students about
energy efficiency is thebestway. It fits theinterest of the students in order to develop and establish funny games
and competitions with winningprizes and it moreover fits the interest of the schools regardingto educate their
students about the efficient use of energy and on how to reduce energy consumption. The benefit Energy
Challenges has in comparison to Generation Green is that they are able to build up a program that fits the
audience’s age and level of understanding. A big strength Energy Challenges has is the cooperation with
community collegestudents, which is highly beneficial on both sides.Low costs and low involvement for Energy
Challenges, working experience and work-field connections for the participating students - A clear win-win
situation, which is beneficial for both sides.
After collecting all these necessary information about the target market and competitors of Energy Challenges
we designed an onlinecontentadvice onhow to adapttoanew marketenvironmentandonhowtosatisfy
the needs of the English business market in order achieve the foundation’s goal. The advice can be
accessed in chapter 4 of the report.

3. 3
1.0 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 2
2.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 4
3.0 The Company and Its Markets............................................................................................. 5
3.1 Environmental Analysis.................................................................................................... 7
4.0 Target Group Analysis.......................................................................................................... 9
4.1 Cultural Profile............................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Persona......................................................................................................................... 11
4.3 Targeting Strategy...................................................................................................... 12
4.4 Competitors .............................................................................................................. 13
5.0 Positioning and Brand Experience .................................................................................... 14
5.1 Positioning Strategy ...................................................................................................... 16
5.2 Current Online Content............................................................................................... 17
6.0 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 19
7.0 References.......................................................................................................................... 21
8.0 Appendix............................................................................................................................ 24

4. 4
2.0 Introduction
In the following report we will introduce you to the foundation Energy Challenges, a non-profit
organization founded by the major energy players in the North of the Netherlands in 2011.
Energy Challenges want to increase the interest for energy related topics in order to create energy
consciousbehaviour,which shouldleadtosocial acceptance regardingthe energytransitioninterms
of sustainability. We will develop a professional communication advice on how to adapt to a new
marketenvironmentandonhow to satisfy the needs of the Englishbusinessmarket inorderachieve
the foundation’sgoal - to expand. For illustrating our research findings and ideas we created among
otherthingstarget audience profile,alsocalledpersona,apositioninggraph,a social mediacalendar
and a mood board, which you can access in the following pages.

5. 5
3.0 The Company and Its Markets
Afterthe short introductiontoEnergy Challengesthe missionof the foundation isdefined asevoking
awareness and providing pupils with knowledge about energy efficiency. To achieve their defined
goals, EnergyChallenges developedaprojectthat installsasystem inschools,whichismonitoringthe
school’s energy consumption.
A selectedteam,consistingof participatingstudentswill analysethe schoolbuildinginrelationtotheir
energy consumption with the use of hot and cold pictures and an innovation check, supervised by
teachers and experts. After collecting necessary informationfor two months, direct adjustmentscan
be made by changing the energy settings in the school.
Moreover the foundation established an educational program. Mainly Energy Challenges can be
describedasa “contestbetweenschoolsdesignedtogenerate enthusiasmforenergyandtoenhance
children’sknowledge andawarenessaboutenergy-relatedtopics.”(Energy Challenges,Factsheet) There
will be an “Energizer Team”, set up by children in the school, which is responsible for creating an
individualcampaignregardingtoreduce the energyuse.Byinvolvingthe pupilsabehavioural change
can be achieved. The teams have one school year to carry out their ideas and plans, which will be
granted with an award based on their results.
As mentioned before, the Energy Challenges is a foundation. A
foundationisanorganizationcreatedandsupportedwithmoney
thatpeople spentinordertodo somethingthathelpsthesociety
(Merriam-webster.com, 2015). The Energy Challengesissupported
byseveral sponsors,whichincludethe GemeenteGroningen,the
Hanzehoogeschool Groningen and EnerGQ.
Within the last four years they grow to over a 100 schools
participatinginthe Netherlands.Nevertheless,EnergyChallengesisstilljusttargetingtheNetherlands.
“Het doel: de Energy Challenges op alle scholen in Nederland! “ (Energy Challenges, 2015)
By usingthe Abell Model (Figure 3.1) itispossibleto mapoutthe marketorientationof anorganization.
Abell’s Model is often applied to analyse a business’s scope of operation. Which technologies and
productsdoesa businessoperateinamarketwith? Andwhatkindof targetgroupdoesitrespondto?
The Abell Analysis is a handy aid in delineating the market.

6. 6
(Figure 3.1: Abell Model)
To map out the market orientation of Energy Challenges it is the easiest way to answer the three
questions mentioned in the Abell Model:
1. Who are the customers?
2. What are the customer needs?
3. And how are the customers satisfied? - By which products or services?
Firstof all the directcustomersof the EnergyChallengescanbe basicallyidentifiedasthe primaryand
secondary schools in the Netherlands as well as the students in the age from 10-16.
The needs of the schools are simply to save money with using less energy and to become part of a
more sustainable world.
The customer will be satisfied if the services and the tools to save energy, provided by the Energy
Challenge,are useful andhelpthe schoolssave moneyinthe end.Alsothe childrenhave toenjoythe
competition to achieve a behavioural change regarding to energy efficiency. Therefore the program
has to fit to theirinterestsandshouldbe customizedforthe differentagesof the studentsas well as
being shaped to their intercultural behaviour. As far as we are concerned the foundation already
established two different challenges regarding to the different school systems.
Moreover you can say that Energy Challenges is focused on the school systems in the Netherlands.
Theystill gotthe opportunitytogainmoresponsors,whichcouldhelpthe foundationto expand,which
isalsoone goal of EnergyChallenges.Moreoversavingupto15% of the energyconsumptionperschool
building can be defined as a realistic goal regarding to current results.
To figure out how we can help Energy Challenges with their goal to expand, we first outlined the
strengths and weaknesses of the organization.
The strengthsof Energy Challengescanbe definedasbeingenvironmentallyfriendly,whichisseenas
a desirable attribute bysocietyingeneral.AsEnergychallengessupport those kindsof attributes,they
maybe seenratherfromapositive viewbytheirstakeholders.The factthatthe foundationgetsfunded
by cities and counties also indicates a high acceptance and support from society towards the
foundation’s actions. Moreover there is a small to none competition this market, at least not in the
matterof providingaservice thateducatesthe pupils,challengesthemandsavesenergy atthe same
time, therefore energy challenges is unique on the Dutch market.
The weaknessescouldbe thatthe foundationisrelyingonfundsfromexternal entitiestheymaylack
independence. Therefore the providers of the funds might play a big role as they could influence

7. 7
internal decisionsinthe companybecause theyhavealot of financial power.Moreoverthefoundation
is presenting itself rather insufficient in the media. The website is designed more or less
unprofessional, for example regarding structure, colours and images and furthermore it is designed
only inDutch (Figure 3.2), whichmightbe aproblemforforeignersandamassive problemforthe Energy
Challenges if the foundation wants to expand.
(Figure 3.2: Energy Challenges Homepage, accessed 28/12/15)
3.1 Environmental Analysis
For an environmental analysisyouneedtofocusoninternal andexternal environmental factorsof an
organization, in other words you need to analyse the impact of the micro and micro environment.
The micro environment can be defined as the immediate environment that has an impact on a
businesswhichforexample includesconsiderationsrelatedtosuppliers,customersandstakeholders.
(Figure 3.3: Actors in the Microenvironment)
Energy Challenges itself follows the aim to generate enthusiasm about energy-related topics for
childrenandstudents.Withintegratingenergyconsciousbehaviouronadailybasis,theattractiveness
of college educations that will prepare students for a job in the energy sector might be generated.
Logically innovations in the energy sector will follow, as a result of more people working inside this
branch (The Energy Challenges Masterplan energy transition in education can be accessed in the appendix.)
The way a company is presented in the media is essential for good reputation. Negative media
attention can ruin an organization, especially when the organization is about to grow. Energy

8. 8
ChallengeshasFacebookpage andnumeroustwitteraccounts.Withthe presentationonsocial media
the foundation can share their concept of the energy saving and they are able to reach a broader
audience,whichincreasesthe chance ofcreatingawarenesseasily.The wayof communicatingthrough
social mediaisanopportunitytoaddressstudentsof adifferentage,teachersandpeopleinafast and
modern way.
The macro environmentincludesfactorsthatare outof controlandmayhaveanimpactonbusinesses.
A business operatesin a larger, external environment from an industry or economic standpoint. The
six major forces in the company’s macro environment are presented in Figure 3.4.
(Figure 3.4: Major Forces in the Company’s Macro environment)
EnergyChallengesneedstoknowa several amountof numbersandstatisticsinorder to planon how
to introduce and develop their campaign. For example the total amount of students in the age from
10 to 16 needstobe definedaswell asstatisticsonnew-bornstoprepare fora demographicchange.
The foundationisnotable tocontrol the demographicforces butwithdoingpreviousresearchEnergy
Challenges can shape their campaign in advance.
Lastly the political sector has an interest in supporting a more sustainable lifestyle, whereby schools
can be numbered among. The trend of being aware of a more sustainable future has the effect that
more people are interestedinenvironmental issuesandmoreoverthe politiciansare willingtospend
money on campaigns about sustainability in order to reduce also energy costs in the future to a
minimum. The future generation has to be aware of environmental issues in order to change their
habits to an energy conscious behaviour.

9. 9
4.0 Target Group Analysis
Before you can start developing a communication advice for Energy Challenges, you have to analyse
two target groups and their characteristics. Therefore first you have to distinguish between
segmentationandtargeting. AccordingtoKotler,segmentationcanbe basicallydefinedas‘dividinga
marketinto smallersegmentsof buyerswithdistinctneeds,characteristics,orbehavioursthatmight
require separate marketing strategies or mixes.’ For effective segmentation, the market segments
must be measurable, differentiable, accessible, substantial and actionable.
(Figure 4.1)
Afterdividingthe marketintosegments,the companymustdecide whichandforinstance how many
segmentstheywanttotarget.Thisprocessiscalledtargeting.Kotlerstatedthe followingdefinitionfor
targeting: ‘Evaluating each market segment’s attractiveness and selecting one or more segments to
enter’. The companiescantargetbroadly,narrowlyor somewhereinbetween(Figure 4.1) aslongasthe
‘target market consists of a set of buyers that share common needs and characteristics that the
company decides to serve’.
A possible way of dividing the target audience into segments is the geographic segmentation. The
segments basically consist of criteria like continent, country, region and province.
Since we chose England to focus on, we thought of starting to establish the Energy Challenges in
London. As in London a high amount of schools are located, creating a competition between the
schools is ways easier. To awake competition is essential for Energy Challenges.
The whole Energy Challenges shaped their campaign on attracting primary and secondary students
(Age 10-16) in addition we will focus on these school systems. By laying emphasis on regions with a
biggerfamilysize we aim to reach more schoolsin this area. Moreoverfocusingon a target group of
studentsinthe age of 10-16 ensurestoreachabroaderaudience.Accordingtoastatisticfromthe UN,
around 17.4 % of the population in England were aged between 0 and 14 in the year 2010. (UN
Population Division: World Population Prospects, the 2008 Revision). If you are able to make these
17.4% participatingin the Energy Challenges, you will have a large and favourable target audience.
Regardingthe demographical segmentwe willbe focusingonhigherincomeschools, meaningschools
with a higher income, which are willing and able to invest in the upgrades of the school building to
make it more sustainable and energy efficient.

10. 10
4.1 Cultural Profile
Since we chose England as a target market, the creation of a cultural profile of this national group is
relevantforour case basedon the three dimensionsof Hofstede - PowerDistance,Individualismand
Masculinity. The graph listed beneath compares the Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity,
Uncertainty Avoidance, Long Term Orientation and Indulgence of England withthe Netherlands. The
most obvious difference can be noticed in terms of masculinity.
(Figure 4.2)
The dimensionof masculinitydescribesbasicallythatpeople eitherwanttodothe best(masculine)or
like what they do (feminine).
“A high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition,
achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in field (…)A low score
(Feminine) on thedimensionmeansthatthedominantvaluesin society arecaring forothersand quality
of life.” (The Geert Hofstede Centre)
Englandhas got a score of 66 in masculinity;the Netherlandsonlygot a score of 14 (Figure 4.3).
The difference between feminism and masculinity is for example the way the masculine
societies prefertowork.Feministsliketoworkwithnicecolleaguesandhave anice relationship
with their boss, while basically the only thing that masculine people thinkabout is being and
doingthe best.Soin England people are more successorientatedandlive towork. The reason
whythisisimportantforourcase isthat the childrenare beingtaughttobe masculineatavery
young age when they start school, which is furthermore supported by a lot of competition in
the Englisheducationsystem.If the EnergyChallengeswanttoestablishasuccessful program
in England, they have to think of new strategies and methods that maybe highlight the
importance of competition and prices in order to entertain and attract the students.
(Figure 4.3)

11. 11
4.2 Persona
Anattractive overviewof tworelevanttargetgroupsandtheircharacteristics canbe accessedbeneath.
We draw a schematic depiction, such as target profiling or “persona”, wherefore we consideredalso
the cultural profile of British students in the age of 10 to 16.

12. 12
4.3 Targeting Strategy
While choosing a targeting strategy several factors need to be considered and it depends on the
individual resources of a company which strategy fits best.
Asmentionedbefore,thecompaniescantargetbroadly,narrowlyor somewhere inbetween (Figure 4.1)
as long as the “target marketconsistsof a set of buyersthat sharecommon needsand characteristics
that the company decides to serve.” (Kotler, P., Principles of Marketing, 16th edition)
The use of an individual marketing strategy for the education program of Energy Challengeswill be
the most effective and therefore a narrow targeting strategy. The individual marketing strategy
basicallydescribesthe factthatthe program istailoredtothe needsandpreferencesof the individual
customers.
Since EnergyChallengesistargetingtwoschool systems,the primaryandsecondaryschools,itmakes
sense to develop two separate projects, perfectly shaped to the age of the target group in order to
achieve the best results in influencing students behaviour. The two school systems include different
ages and therefore a different level of understanding. In addition Energy Challenges should pay
attention on the student’s interests in different ages and can create a program that differs from the
actual campaign.The program has to match the level of theirunderstanding, since the youngeraged
students learn best in a more playful and fun way. The foundation should consider using a fun,
colourful and playful programdesign (Figure 4.4) fortheirgroup and pay most attentiontoanimate the
children through energy efficient games.
(Figure 4.4) – The company25SDA from Florida, USA uploadeda videoon YouTube that contains the mentionedplayful and
colourful elements to attract children in the younger age.1
Whenitcomesto secondarystudents,youcansaythatthey are more mature andlikelytotake things
more seriously. Energy Challenges should also consider the cultural profile and establish a lot of
competitionandprizes.The level of understandingisobviouslyhigher,sothe contentof the program
can be more complex and more knowledge on energy efficiency can be provided.
1 Access video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyVF6R9e6xE

13. 13
4.4 Competitors
Moreover competitors’ marketing strategies should also be considered. Since we want to support
Energy Challenges to establish their project on the English market, it is important to identify and
discover the competitors first. After doing online research, the two main competitors of Energy
Challenges in England can be identified as Generation Green and Eco Schools.
To start with we will shortly introduce you to
these two competitors in the following paragraphs.
BasicallyGenerationGreenisan educational program, run by BritishGas for pupilsand teachersthat
provide educational experiencesandsustainable energytechnologiestomore than 13,000 schoolsin
the UK. The aim isto educate childrenaboutsustainabilityandtoenforce the feelingof beingcurious
aboutfuture energychallengesinordertocreate agenerationof energyinnovators.Withfocusingon
key-stage one tothree,childreninthe age from5to14 are targetedandthereforeprimaryandmiddle
schools. Competition and prices are big spelled in the program - With a dance-battle on an energy-
generating dance floor, where different schools compete against each other where the three best
dancers and their schools get rewarded with an energy-saving school make-over, including solar
panels, heat pumps, isolation and ongoingeducational support from British Gas and an online game
launched by British Gas should activate the young audience.
Operating on a much broader scale Eco Schools can be identified as the second competitor.
Eco Schoolsdefinesitself asan“international awardprogramthatguidesschoolsontheirsustainable
journey”.One of Eco Schoolsstrengthsisits broadness.The organizationisoperatingin 53 countries
worldwide already, which gives annual pricesa higher value, since it is internationally known among
participantsand possiblynon-participantsandsecondlytheywantto get all school typesinvolved.In
order to involve these schools,EcoSchoolshas developedaseven stepplan,whichyou can access in
the appendix. Competition and rewarding participants who are doing well is quite a big deal in the
organizations program. With a three step rewarding system they want to value and honour the
achievements of the schools. Eco schools is, same as Energy Challenges, supported by a bunch of
companies and associations.
Mainlythe competitorsdistinguishintheirtargetaudience.EnergyChallengeshasdividedtheirquite
small target group even in subgroups in order to work more efficient. Generation Green focuseson
primary and middle schools - the youngest target audience, Eco schools focuses on all school types
(broadest audience) and Energy Challenges focuses on primary and secondary schools (best defined
audience).Energy Challengesand Generation Green both want to create a sustainable and energy
efficient generation and furthermore “Innovations within this sector then might grow as a result of
morepeopleworking insidethisbranch.”,wherebyecoschoolsisratherfocusedonalong-termchange
of people’s behaviour towards energy efficiency.

14. 14
5.0 Positioning and Brand Experience
While developingaBrandingstrategy,there are a lotof differentfactorstoconsiderin order creating
a successful brand. Differentiation is about what makes the brand stand out, for example in
comparisontoothercompetitorsandmoreoverthe brandpositioningisveryimportantwhenitcomes
tothe brandingstrategy.Itisaboutthe attributes,benefitsaswellasbeliefsandvaluesthatcome with
the brand. There are certain things that are generally associated with certain brands, for example
Walmart=cheap/inexpensive. Moreover while developing a brand, there are several important
decisions to manage, such as the positioning itself or the brand name selection and protection.
RegardingEnergyChallengesthe firstandcore associationsare aboutthe sustainableor“green”image
of the foundation.Bysupportingthe environmentandstandingforasustainable future,the company
meets the societiesneeds of “doing good” for the environment and the youth. The societygenerally
has a positive view on organisations that take actions towards sustainability and that are
environmentallyfriendly,asitisseenasa desirable goal topossesstheseattributes.ThereforeEnergy
Challengesispromisingasustainableandenvironmentallyfriendlylifestyletoitsconsumers,givingthe
benefits of being part of a green future for the consumer.
Furthermore the pupils learn that their own behaviour can cause energy creation and energy saving
whichis a keypart of the concept.Alsoby showingresultsinstantlythe pupilscanhave a fun kindof
competitionwitheachother.Thisverymuchfitsthe name of the companybeing“EnergyChallenges”
as it succeeds in creating a challenge or a competition while being sustainable and saving energy.
Therefore the name“EnergyChallenges”is easytounderstandandonpointasitincludesthe twomain
parts of what the foundation is all about Energy – saving energy and supporting a sustainable
behaviour- andChallenges –whichisthe methodtomake the whole programinterestingandexciting
for the pupils participating.
The company makes it easy to save energy in schools by providing a simple way of changing pupil’s
behaviourinafunway. Furthermore byinvolvingthe pupilsinthe programtheysee theirownresults
and geta feelingof reward easily.Thisleadstothe pupilsbeingkeentotake actioninthe programas
theycansee howtheirchangedbehaviouraffectstheenergyefficiency.Bycreatingthispositivefeeling
inthe programthe pupilsgetapositiveassociationwiththe whole energysavingprocess,whichmight
lead to them being interested in a job in the energy sector later in their lives.
In addition to our outcomes, we created a mood board (Figure 5.2) in order to illustrate these
associations. A mood board is a visualization of a concept, idea,thought or feeling, which provides a
concise picture of the lifestyle of the target group.It consistsof clear and recognizable elements,but
also includes new ideas.

15. 15
(Figure 5.2 – Mood Board)
The following positioning graph (Figure 5.3) visualizes our prior findings and shows furthermore the
positioning of each organization in relation to the factor of fun and the factor of educating.
(Figure 5.3: Positioning Graph)
Energy challenges can be identified as the most efficient organization in comparison to their
competitors, because they matched their program perfectly to their target audience. With creating
two different initiatives for two subgroups the educating factor is fully confirmed. The fun factor of
Generation Green is with the dance battles very high and matches the interests of the audience.
Therefore Ecoschools has no matching programsfor its broad audience andthe factor of funis quite
unattended. The focus is more on getting good results and earning success.

16. 16
5.1 Positioning Strategy
A productpositioncanbasicallybe describedasawayaproductisdefinedbyconsumersonimportant
attributes. Nowadays consumers are overloaded with several products and services. To make the
buyingprocesseasier,consumersorganize services,productsor companiesinspecificcategoriesand
positionthemintheirminds.ProductPositioningisthereforearesultof perceptions,impressionsand
feelings that consumers have for a specific product compared with competing products.
The process of developing a differentiation or positioning consists mainly of three steps.
1. Identifying possible value differences and competitive advantage
2. Choosing the right competitive advantages
3. And selecting an overall positioning strategy
Choosing the positioning of providing an entertaining and effective program in order to educate
students about energy efficiency would make sense. It fits the interest of the students in order to
develop and establish funny games and competitions with winning prizes and it moreover fits the
interest of the schools regarding to educate their students about the efficient use of energy and on
how to reduce energy consumption.The benefit Energy Challenges has in comparisonto Generation
Green is that they are able to build up a program that fits the audience’s age and level of
understanding. A big strength Energy Challenges has is the cooperation with community college
students, which is highly beneficial on both sides. Low costs and low involvement for Energy
Challenges,workingexperienceandwork-fieldconnectionsforthe participatingstudents - A clearwin-
win situation, which is beneficial for both sides.
Why should someone jointhe program of Energy Challenges? With answering this question you can
basically define a positioning strategy. Even the name gives one description: “Energy Challenges” is
easyto understandandon pointas it includes the twomainparts of what the foundationisall about
Energy – savingenergyandsupportingasustainablebehaviour- andChallenges –whichisthe method
to make the whole program interesting and exciting for the pupils participating. Moreover Energy
Challengesprovidesnecessaryknowledge andtoolsin orderto reduce the total energyconsumption
of a school inorder to save moneyandsave energy.Thisisprofitable forthe schoolsthemselves and
for the organization in order to support an energy sustainable lifestyle.
As a result Energy Challenges should keep presenting themselves as efficient, sustainable and
entertaining to attract the consumer’s attention and to keep up with their competitors.

17. 17
5.2 Current Online Content
For identifyingthe currentonlinecontentwe decidedtofocusoursocial mediaanalysisonSeptember
until November,because we didn’twantto beginour analysisbefore the summerbreakbecause the
contentafterthe summerbreakwasmore recentanduseable.We made aninventoryaboutthe social
media messages that the organization postedabout their brand (Figure 5.4 and 5.5). It shows what kind
of messages the organization has posted and how many in the time span that we chose.
Facebook
Messages about: September October November
The schoolsthattheycooperate with - 1 -
Other people/ organizations doing
environmental friendly things
1 1 1
Achievements/messagesabouttheir
own organization
1 3 2
Other news - 2 3
Total: 2 7 6
Figure 5.4 - Source: https://www.facebook.com/energychallengesNL/ , retrieved on 15/12/15
Twitter
September October November
Retweets 2 4 3
Tweets about other organizations
doing environmental friendly things
2 6 3
Tweets about other organizations
saying something about Energy
Challenges
1 3 1
Announcements / tweets informing
people about Energy Challenges
1 5 4
Tweetstoamuse/informreadersabout
other things than Energy Challenges
- 2 4
Total: 6 20 15
Figure 5.5 - Source: https://twitter.com/EClandelijk, retrieved on 15/12/15
Asyoumaynotice fromthe twotablesabove, there isnotmuchactivityontheirsocial mediaaccounts.
Almostall of the postsare about otherpeople or organisations;howevertheyshoulduse theirsocial
mediaprofilesinordertopromote theirinnovationsandprograms.If theycanmake themselvesmore
interesting for the outside world, people will start paying attention to the foundation and they can
reach a greater public. They have already combined their social media pages in a good way by
retweetingeachother(forexample ECFryslanandEC landelijk)onTwitter.Social mediapagesshould
be more appealing,informativeandattracting.Make itlessgeneral andmore outstanding,soitwillbe
noticed. – The whole social media analysis can be accessed in the appendix.

18. 18
A thing that Energy Challenges is doing right is the fact that they are really enthusiastic about
everythingtheywrite.Asseeninthe graphbelow, createdinCoosto,theyhave nonegative messages
(Figure 5.6), which also means there is nothing negative to say about Energy Challenges.
(Figure 5.6 - activities and sentiment from Energy Challenges from September unti l November - source; Coosto)

19. 19
6.0 Conclusion
In order to formulate our professional communication advice on how to adapt to a new market
environment and on how to satisfy the needs of the English business market in order achieve the
foundation’s goal, it is necessary to understand that traditional marketing is becoming less effective.
Beingpresentonsocial media can be defined as the organization’s new overall marketing strategy:
Content Marketing
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable,
relevant,and consistentcontentto attractand retain a clearly-defined audience— and,ultimately,to
drive profitable customer action.”
Firstlyyouhave to define whatyouwant to be famousfor: In the case of Energy Challengeswe want
to stand out of their competitors with their efficient, sustainable and entertaining educational
program.Underlinedshouldthe topicselectionbycreatingasharable content.Whilepeople are tend
to spread contentvia social mediathat is positive,relevant,appealingandcontainsbenefit,itmakes
sense to combine these attributes with the cultural profile of the English target market. Appealing
contentscanbe for example apresentationof the competition’sresultsandawardsinordertoattract
the individualisticandmasculine students.Moreoverthe factof presentingachievementsregardingto
the company’s missionto generate enthusiasm for energyand to enhance children’s knowledge and
awareness about energy-related topics can motivate the students and make the content sharable.
To visualize howEnergyChallengescanimprove theiruse of social mediaplatformswe firstlycreated
an improved social media calendar as presented in the chart below.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Facebook X X
Twitter X X
(Instagram) X X
(Social Media Calendar= How often should Energy Challenges use social media platforms in a week)
We mainly advise Energy Challenges to post messages on Twitter and Facebook since both websites
are the mostpopularat the moment.Itisadvisabletopublishnewcontentsatregularintervals,which
we definedastwice aweek.AccordingtoBenna(2015) mostpeople accesstheirFacebookaccounton
Fridayand Saturday, whichcan be relatedto the fact that on these dayspeople have more free time
regardingto the commonworkinghoursor school schedules.FortwitterWednesdayandSundayare
the most populardays,whichcan be relatedtothe Prime-Time TV programonthese daysthat makes
the audience want to chat about actors, events or criticism.
Moreover the structure of the posts should fit the audience’s interest and choice of words. Posting
visuals on Facebook of Energizer Teams making proceedings may animate other schools to join the
competition in order to do better. The whole idea of providingcompetition and awards shouldbe in
the foreground.

20. 20
On Twitter short, informative or amusing messages with a special hashtag like for example
#howtomakeadifference can attract the audience’s attention and cartoons or pictures of award
presentation ceremonies for the most successful school can enforce the ambition of the English
students in order to do their best within the project.
For giving an example on how Facebook posts can look like, we designed a creative story and a
visualization which can be fully accessed under the following link:
https://prezi.com/mwdmy8akvrve/how-to-make-a-difference/
The Visual presentedinthe picture below fitsthe targetaudience’staste andthe little emoji’sonthe
book pages create the whole story more playful.

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7.0 References
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Business Insider: http://uk.businessinsider.com/best-times-to-post-on-facebook-instagram-
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A_6_step_approach_in
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Mebane-Burlington-Chapel-Hill-NC-Fire-Safe.jpg.

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8.0 Appendix
Figure 8.1: Energy Challenges Factsheet: Masterplan energy transition in education
Figure 8.2: Eco Schools seven step Plan
Step 1
Eco Committee
The Eco-Committee is the action team and the driving force
behind the Eco-Schools work.
Step 2
Environmental Review
“An Environmental Review is an audit of your school, covering
the nine Eco-Schoolstopicsinreasonable depth,plusanumber
of other areas. It is designed to give a realistic picture of the
school’s current environmental performance.”
Step 3
Action Plan
“The Action Plan is core to your work as an Eco-School and
should be developed using the results of your Environmental
Review. Whether your school is at Bronze, Silver or Green Flag
level, your Action Plan must be shared with the whole school
community. The Action Plan is intended to be a working
document and should therefore be reviewed, revised and
amended regularly.”
Step 4
Informing and Involving
During the next weeks/ months/ years, the changes and
developments are being monitored and evaluated, in order to
document changes.

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Step 5
Link to Curriculum
“Linking Eco-Schoolsto thecurriculum helpsthe wholeschoolto
get involved in the programme,raising their understandingand
knowledge of sustainability.”
Step 6
Monitoring and Evaluation
“To find out whether you’re successfully achieving the targets
laid out in your Action Plan, you should monitor and evaluate
your progress. As well as allowing you to judge the success of
your activities and plan any necessary changes, a continuous
monitoring process will help you to sustain interest in the
programme throughout your school. Your methods of
monitoring willdepend on thetargetsand measurementcriteria
set out in your Action Plan, as well as the age and ability of
pupils, staff and helpers.”
Step 7
Eco Code
“It is a requirement for the Silver and Green Flag Awards, that
yourschoolhasagreed,adopted and displayed anEco-Code.The
Eco-Code is your mission statement. It should demonstrate – in
a positive, clear and imaginative way – your school’s
commitment to improving your environmental performance.”

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