Case Study for Energy and Natural Resources
BIOFUELS INDUSTRY CHALLENGE:
Winning Support for Renewable Energy
When a well-known Arkansas farm family began building a facility to produce biodiesel using oil from locally-grown soybeans, they knew both their investment and their business reputation were at stake. They selected VOX to develop and implement a communications strategy that advocated for state-level incentives for biodiesel and reassured farmers they could profit by selling their crops to the new facility because it was backed by known and trusted businesspeople. At the time, no Arkansas biodiesel producer relied 100 percent on soy oil. Skeptics, including some farmers, worried about fuel quality while national opponents raised the specter of “food versus fuel.”
VOX Solution:
Building and Leveraging a Grassroots Coalition with a New Constituency
Our client needed to campaign on several fronts. Farmers had to be persuaded that biodiesel production would create better crop markets and the new fuel would perform well in their equipment. Legislators from non-farming districts needed to know that incentives were a sound use of public funds. Environmental and social activists had to be made aware of biodiesel’s many attributes. Other biofuel producers in the region had to be assured that the new company shared their overall objectives for the fledgling industry.
VOX created a three-year campaign strategy that relied on intensive grassroots and stakeholder outreach along with media relations to touch every major constituency. Over the course of two legislative sessions, VOX would execute the plan to bring significant change in state policy, build public support and preserve the client’s strong reputation among Arkansas farmers. The strategy included:
- Message Development: VOX created, tested and rolled-out messaging to emphasize the key benefits of locally-produced biodiesel: local economic growth, security through energy independence, fuel quality, sustainability, local economic benefits, and a cleaner environment.
- Linked Client Messaging for Credibility: To emphasize that the new plant was soundly managed, VOX built on the client’s existing reputation with farmers, adding biodiesel messaging to the client’s existing website and media/marketing materials.
- Targeted Outreach on Critical Issues: Targeted emails, op-eds, earned and paid media were used to allay public concerns and generate supportive calls and letters to elected leaders.
- Coordinated Government Relations: VOX coordinated the work of retained lobbyists and provided messaging to biodiesel advocates to assure consistent messaging and tactics during legislative hearings and deliberations.
- Coalition-Building and Campaign Management: In the second year of the plan, VOX organized the state’s first coalition of biofuel producers to advocate for expanded incentives.
RESULTS
Arkansas created the state’s first workable incentives for biofuel producers and feedstock processors.
Several million dollars in state incentives were given to our client and coalition members.
Ongoing work by state legislators encourages the statewide usage of biofuel.
The client received extensive positive media coverage for its business enterprises.
