Renewable Recovery

As the world shifts to a low carbon future, Australia has everything we need to take the lead and become a renewable energy export superpower. We've got endless sunshine, plenty of space, powerful winds, world-class expertise and strong trade relationships: it's a winning combination.

The twin crises of the 2019/2020 bushfires and the Covid-19 pandemic have created a need for a recovery package that helps the country rebuild. WWF-Australia is calling on our leaders to make Australia the world’s leading exporter of renewable energy by 2030.

In September 2020, WWF flagged the fact that there was a critical opportunity before the delivery of the next Federal budget to see the work commence, through the delivery of a renewable recovery stimulus package.

WWF-Australia believes that renewable energy should be a major focus of stimulus investment, and we have specific projects in mind. But, to secure that stimulus investment, we need to change the thinking within bureaucracy and government.

TOAST’s challenge was to convince key decision-makers that a clean energy stimulus was the best way to accelerate Australia’s economic recovery. The campaign required bipartisan appeal in order to change the minds of detractors and secure our nation’s future.

WWF-Australia planned a print-driven advocacy campaign, with the centrepiece being a ‘wrap’ of the Canberra edition of The Australian masthead.

Our central insight was to challenge people’s initial perceptions surrounding renewable energy, allowing them to actively engage in a new conversation. By grabbing the attention with a challenging message while telling the story of what’s possible through an investment in renewable stimulus, we wanted to secure significant government investment in 5-6 key initiatives proposed by WWF-Australia.

To cut through, we decided rather than starting our communications with the traditional renewable communications format, we could take the opposite stance to drive engagement. Framing the role of renewables as a tool for job creation and using the language of big businesses to explain the benefits. The campaign’s seemingly anti-renewables hook ‘Clean Energy is Not the Future’ and black & white colour scheme draw the attention of audiences, before subverting their expectations and emphasising the campaign’s true positioning – ‘It’s the NOW!’

The ‘wrap’ of The Australian newspaper distils the dense, technical text contained within WWF-Australia’s reports into its most concise and interesting form, including infographics, quotes, and key stats.

TOAST’s strategic communications helped WWF-Australia’s advocacy campaign to win the attention of Federal and State Government policymakers. The organisation received numerous invitations to discuss its proposed stimulus after the launch of its media campaign. These meetings created tangible outcomes, including a federal commitment to invest over $140million in a hydrogen export hub, renewable and battery storage microgrids, and programs to support community organisations to lower their energy bills.

TOAST is immensely proud to have created an impactful campaign on behalf of an organisation seeking to create a better present and future for all Australians.