Gamesa
ISSUE
Gamesa is a global leader in the business of wind turbine generators and wind farms — but was largely unknown in the United States when it decided to open its first two American production sites in Pennsylvania.
Gamesa hired Ceisler Media and Issue Advocacy to lead community engagement and provide a communications strategy for the project, which included spotlighting the company’s decision to hire unemployed steelworkers to man the machines in new plants in Fairless Hills, Bucks County, and Ebensburg, Cambria County. Ceisler helped to enhance Gamesa’s brand as a green energy company in the United States and promote its positive economic development.
At the same time, the company wanted Ceisler’s help overcoming public opposition to plans to build wind farms in Pennsylvania, including the Sandy Ridge Wind Farm in Tyrone, Blair County.
STRATEGY
To win support for the wind farm, Ceisler Media built a coalition of community members and experts ready to spread the word of clean energy and economic progress. Ceisler’s team brought supporters to public meetings, provided media training for company officials and served as spokespeople for the campaign.
Tactics included creating a Sandy Ridge-specific website, placing print advertisements, writing letters to the editors in the local papers, mailing a letter and factsheet to all borough residents, holding town hall meetings, developing rapid response strategies and offering tours of other local wind farms to reporters and community members to promote positive coverage.
To further build the brand of a company that provides clean renewable energy, Ceisler arranged and coordinated tours of Gamesa’s Fairless Hills and Johnstown facilities for local, state, national and international reporters as well as public officials, including both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
RESULT
In the end, the windfarm referendum became among the first-ever passed in the United States – winning decisively in six of the borough’s seven voting precincts.
The wind turbines were built, attracting international coverage. Today, they continue to deliver clean energy to residents in Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states.