Energy ad campaign wins gold award

The Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs (MEEA) communication campaign, Where Does My Energy Come From? and its related interactive Web site, www.myenergytt.com, produced by advertising agency Rostant DDB, won silver and gold awards respectively at the recent Addy Awards. 

The Caribbean Advertising Federation runs the regional arm of the Addy competition, which was founded by the American Advertising Federation. Gold and silver awardees automatically move on to the district award judging round where they compete against all the winning agencies in the United States. 

Minister of Energy and Energy Affairs, Kevin C. Ramnarine, whose vision it was to engage the national population in learning more about the energy sector, said: "The quality of work in this campaign is exceptional and the awards roundly deserved by the hardworking team at the MEEA and the agency. I look forward to more high-quality work as we launch the second phase of the campaign, which focuses on energy efficiency."

The energy communication campaign, which ran in the last quarter of 2012, aimed to raise public awareness about the ways in which traditional sources of energy powerfully impact on lives. This initiative was conveyed using well-received print, radio and television advertisements coupled with the interactive website and social media presence (Facebook and Twitter).

The state-of-the-art website, which features a digital map of T&T with interactive features on energy agencies, was also an attraction at the Energy Pavilion hosted by the Energy Ministry and its state agencies at Divali Nagar 2012. 

This informational campaign is the first large-scale attempt to inform citizenry about the energy sector. Bridging the existing information gap is especially important for young people who, given adequate information, can begin to view the energy sector as a potential employer. The campaign’s overarching theme, My Energy, My Responsibility, seeks to introduce the idea that each individual is responsible for the wise usage of resources. 

Having sensitised the population to traditional sources of energy, the campaign is now moving into its second phase – promoting energy conservation and energy efficiency. Due to the availability and low cost of energy, it is often taken for granted, resulting in energy wastage.

This campaign segment makes the individual directly responsible for conservation of energy, taking into account that our energy comes largely from finite resources that are heavily subsidised by the State. In effect, this phase seeks to empower individuals by demonstrating how small actions can make a big difference when approached collectively. 

The campaign will culminate with an emphasis on the benefits and importance of using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. This phase not only highlights government’s initiatives and tax incentives for local users and investors in renewable energy but also seeks to educate and inspire public participation in a national move towards renewable energy as a viable source. 

• For more information on the Ministry’s educational energy campaign, visit the website, www.myenergytt.com, join their Facebook page (MyEnergyTT) and follow on Twitter.