The transition to clean energy is a global challenge, but its impact is felt locally. For renewable energy projects to succeed, communities need more than information about clean energy — they need to understand the role companies play as long-term partners in their communities.
As part of Ørsted's U.S. communications efforts, I supported the Community Voices campaign by developing paid media strategies designed to position Ørsted as a trusted community partner while connecting local audiences with the impact of renewable energy projects. I created campaign plans for marketing-as-public-affairs initiatives, using audience insights, channel strategy, and a targeted paid media mix to deliver relevant stories to the audiences who mattered most.
My Role: Paid media strategy and execution, including audience targeting, campaign planning, creative recommendations, media mix strategy, tracking frameworks, and performance reporting across LinkedIn, Meta, and programmatic channels.
The Challenge
How do you communicate the benefits of utility-scale renewable energy in ways that resonate with communities, industries, and stakeholders with different priorities?
Utility-scale renewable energy projects impact communities differently depending on geography, industry, and local priorities. A message that resonated with Texas landowners and rural communities would not necessarily resonate with New York audiences focused on union labor, manufacturing, and workforce development.
At the same time, clean energy investments faced increasing public and political scrutiny. Ørsted needed to demonstrate the tangible economic and community benefits its projects delivered while ensuring those stories reached the audiences best positioned to influence public understanding and long-term support.
The Approach
Community Voices in Action
I supported Ørsted's community-focused communications strategy by developing paid media campaigns that translated broader clean-energy narratives into targeted digital experiences. While the overarching Community Voices framework remained consistent, each market required a tailored paid media approach informed by audience priorities, regional context, and campaign objectives.
I developed campaign plans that identified the most effective audience segments, channel mix, and messaging opportunities for each market: from reaching Texas policymakers with economic impact stories to highlighting workforce development and union partnerships in New York.
Below is one of the campaign's featured Community Voices stories. Promoted through paid media, these videos highlighted local voices and demonstrated how renewable energy investment supported businesses, workers, and communities across the United States.
Localized Messaging in Action
Community Voices was adapted across multiple U.S. markets to reflect the industries, values, and concerns of local communities.
The examples below illustrate how the same campaign took different forms in Texas and New York.
Select a state to explore how audience priorities shaped the campaign strategy.
Texas
Texas's campaign centered on the communities and industries already powering the state's economy. Rather than leading with wind turbines or solar panels, the creative highlighted ranchers, farmers, landowners, and local business owners whose stories demonstrated how renewable energy could strengthen existing livelihoods and rural communities. At a time when federal support for clean energy faced increasing political uncertainty, paid media placements were designed to reach Texas policymakers, community leaders, and influential stakeholders with messages focused on local economic impact, energy reliability, and long-term investment.
Together, these efforts reinforced Ørsted's role as a trusted community partner while demonstrating the real-world benefits renewable energy projects brought to Texas communities.
Audience
Landowners
Rural communities
Texas policymakers
Messaging Priorities
Community investment
Landowner partnerships
Rural economic development
Reliable energy
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New York
New York's campaign centered on the people building the state's clean energy future. Rather than leading with turbines or technology, the creative highlighted union workers, local business owners, and skilled tradespeople whose work made offshore wind possible.Paid media placements incldued targeted social ads, such as on LinkedIn targeting key decisionmaker offices and relevant industry advocates, and programmatic placement in trade publications, local news outlets sites, and geotargeted web inventory.
Together, these efforts reinforced Ørsted's role as a long-term community partner while connecting renewable energy investment to local jobs, economic opportunity, and workforce development.
Audience:
Local and state decision-makers
Union labor and skilled trades
Coastal communities
Messaging Priorities:
Offshore wind
Union labor & workforce development
Shipbuilding and local supply chains
Long-term economic opportunity
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The Results
As clean energy projects came under increasing public and political scrutiny, paid media became an important tool for ensuring locally relevant stories reached communities, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. By combining audience segmentation, localized messaging, and targeted channel strategies, Community Voices helped demonstrate the tangible economic and community benefits of renewable energy investments across key U.S. markets.
The campaign generated more than 35 million impressions, increased click-through performance by 20% year over year, achieved an average 10.7-second video dwell time, and supported 13 state-specific communications plans tailored to regional audiences and priorities.
"Ørsted's goal as good neighbors is to build long-lasting relationships with local people and businesses wherever we are."
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