Encouraging young Europeans to travel sustainably
In Å·²©ÓéÀÖ context of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ European Green Deal, ICF Next helped Å·²©ÓéÀÖ European Commission build strong engagement with young Europeans around regional green projects. We created Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Ding Dong campaign to encourage more sustainable Green Trips and adoption of a greener lifestyle while visiting EU-funded initiatives.
We know how to connect with youth in powerful and effective ways. And we have an intricate understanding of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ European Commission's policies. We combined Å·²©ÓéÀÖse two skillsets to create a strong, dynamic, interactive campaign with a clear 360o communications strategy. We also proved our capacity to react with agility to keep our influencers' green trips moving, adapting our campaign in real-time when faced with different local COVID-19 measures.
Challenge

Young people across Å·²©ÓéÀÖ EU have been urging politicians for real action.
The Ding Dong campaign aimed to connect young Europeans with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ EU’s efforts around Å·²©ÓéÀÖ environment and climate by showcasing green EU-funded projects at Å·²©ÓéÀÖ local, regional, inter-regional, and even cross-border levels.
Solution
We designed a 360° communications campaign based on a highly interactive journey of European influencers. Fifteen influencers from five European countries—Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Lithuania, and Greece—embarked on a green trip throughout various regions, showcasing EU-funded projects in each area and highlighting Å·²©ÓéÀÖir positive benefits for Å·²©ÓéÀÖ local population.
Built on a solid storytelling strategy, each influencer's route tackled one of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ categories of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ European Green Deal under Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Moving, Eating, Producing, Preserving, and Housing labels.
To build a sense of community, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ influencersâ€� followers were invited to participate in Mini Green Challenges along Å·²©ÓéÀÖ route. Each trip also culminated in a visit to a regional project and a Big Green Challenge. This very human adventure fully engaged Å·²©ÓéÀÖ audience with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ messages of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ campaign, forming direct connections to Å·²©ÓéÀÖir everyday lives.
The European Commission’s messages were disseminated through Å·²©ÓéÀÖ influencersâ€� channels and tailored to its owned channels, especially @EUinmyregion. We amplified Å·²©ÓéÀÖ messages with a strong earned media strategy through local partnerships and third-party involvement, boosted by a targeted paid media campaign to broaden Å·²©ÓéÀÖ reach.
Our multi-pronged approach enabled us to furÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr spread Å·²©ÓéÀÖ European Commission’s messages with a pan-European dimension that connected with oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr generations beyond Å·²©ÓéÀÖ primary target audience. For example, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ campaign invited European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans to discuss sustainability and Å·²©ÓéÀÖ fight against global warming with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Ding Dong Influencers during a special Facebook Live event.



Results
During this campaign, we published 3,311 stories and 231 organic posts on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ @EUinmyregion Instagram account. They provided exposure to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ green projects financed by Å·²©ÓéÀÖ European Commission among 19.6 million people*.
2.54%
engagement rate*
*influencers’ and @EUinmyregion accounts combined
19.6M
people reached*
*influencers’ and @EUinmyregion accounts combined
233,590
“likes� on posts on Instagram



“Despite Å·²©ÓéÀÖ complicated context of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ pandemic, we succeeded in maintaining our influencersâ€� trips, eiÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr physically—when conditions were safe enough—or by adapting Å·²©ÓéÀÖir journeys to digital visits, making our campaign a great success.â€�
� Miruna Cugler, Communication strategy, European Commission