EU and Ukraine: Together we bring light!

Since October 2022, more than 40% of Ukraine’s power stations were damaged or destroyed, leaving millions of Ukrainians without electricity. The ‘Together We Bring Light!’ campaign was delivered as a response to the Russian attacks on civil infrastructure to encourage citizens to exchange their old bulbs for new energy-efficient LED bulbs.

The EU, under the leadership of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, took action to support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Under the EU-funded “Communicating EU for Ukrainians” project, Ecorys delivered for the EU Delegation the “Together We Bring Light!” campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine to promote the take up of energy-efficient LED bulbs. Starting from January 2023, Ukrainian citizens had the opportunity to exchange their old bulbs for 30 million new LEDs.

Campaign Objectives

Ecorys established four key objectives for the campaign:

1. Reduce Electricity Consumption: Encouraging the exchange of old bulbs for LEDs to decrease electricity consumption and relieve the strain on Ukraine’s energy system.
2. Inform and Educate: Providing information about the National Lamp Exchange Program, including its conditions and benefits.
3. Promote Energy Efficiency: Creating new behavioural patterns among Ukrainians, particularly in densely populated cities, to promote energy-efficient practices.
4. Highlight EU Contribution: Highlighting the EU’s crucial role in strengthening Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and providing broader support.

Given that this was a joint EU-Ukraine communication campaign by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Zelensky with dual objectives, the campaign was designed to follow the existing slogan of the “Together, We Are Europe” campaign, focused on the EU support during war. It represented the bulb exchange program as one face of the EU’s response to the electricity crisis in Ukraine. To achieve these objectives, Ecorys focused on three key strategies:

1. Adjusting the “Together, we are Europe” slogan to “Together we bring Light” to emphasize unity and shared effort.
2. Branding the campaign as a joint EU-Ukraine initiative to provide a unified voice and collaborative image.
3. Involving the Ukrainian government to underscore the nation’s contribution to energy resilience, address public frustration, and highlight the EU’s support.

Implementation

The campaign’s implementation was tailored to various stages, starting in major cities and extending to smaller areas. Key elements of the campaign included:

• Videos for TV and digital platforms.
• Radio advertisements.
• Targeted out-of-home (OOH) advertising, including posters and city lights in Kyiv.
• Digital promotion, including influencers campaign.
• Media relations and media events.
• Articles placed in regional media, covering all 19 oblasts of Ukraine.

Results

Ecorys evaluated the campaign through various metrics, including media coverage, proactive communication, and estimated reach through media and outdoor advertising. The results were impressive, with the campaign achieving the following:

• A total of 20 million LED bulbs exchanged by 4 million participants.
• An estimated reach of 292,846,247 contacts.
• Effective partnerships with government institutions.
• Targeted TV and radio ads that resulted in a (CPT) of EUR 0.13, demonstrating cost-efficiency.

Conclusion

The “Together We Bring Light!” campaign successfully achieved its objectives by encouraging Ukrainians to exchange old incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient LEDs, promoting energy efficiency, and raising awareness about the EU’s contribution to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The campaign demonstrated the power of effective communication and collaboration in addressing pressing challenges and fostering positive change within a community. This collaborative effort exemplifies the impact of strategic communication in achieving critical objectives during challenging times.