Communications surrounding UU Sustainability – the next step
Much has happened regarding communications on the research theme of Sustainability in recent years. Key messages have been established, websites built, press releases distributed, flyers printed and events organised. A good foundation had been laid. Now it is time to build on the achievements attained so far and take the next step, in which we make more strategic use of communications. Building on what has already been achieved, this means, among other things, focusing on where we want to be, intensifying ties with our stakeholders and strengthening our community. We need to establish our current position and look to where we want to get to and what is needed to get us there. And all of this is aimed at strengthening our positioning, both internally and externally.
Phase 1: Positioning
Dealing with the challenges for a sustainable future requires not only the development of new and more efficient technologies, but also changes in institutions, behaviour, business models, markets, policies and lifestyles. At Utrecht University we study our sustainable future as well as the required transitions. The Sustainability research theme covers an extremely broad range of research disciplines from Transitional Energy and Resources to Urban Sustainability and Environmental Security. And while this is a unique strength, it sometimes makes it a challenge to sum up the whole research theme in a clear, integrated narrative. However, this is in fact necessary in order to be able to communicate the excellence and urgency of our research, both internally and externally.
To craft an appropriate positioning statement we need to get to know our stakeholders better, create a SWOT analysis and a confrontation matrix, and organise strategic sessions with the scientists involved. These measures will help us deepen our insights into questions such as:
1. Do we need to widen or sharpen the scope of our defined target market? What types of sustainable businesses and people do we want to reach? What are their interests? Where is the funding coming from and who needs this information? How do they make decisions? Who or what influences them and why?
2. What unique value do we provide them? What do we think we are the best in the world at?
What value do we offer that no one else can?
3. Why should our target groups believe us? How can we back up what we say? What evidence supports our belief?
A good positioning statement will guide all of our marketing efforts. It will help us maintain our focus within the research theme. Moreover, making clear choices makes it easier to present your position. It will enable us to concentrate on our brand and its value proposition, and clarify our strategy and tactics. The positioning statement must be internationally oriented and furthermore, it must be a joint effort, unanimously supported by the research community.
Phase 2: Communications strategy
Having drawn up a strong positioning statement for the Sustainability research theme, we can then devise a strategic communications plan. In this plan, we identify our primary target groups, set our communications goals, lay out our mission and vision, set up a suitable mix of marketing communications, and determine the timeline and costs.
United Nations has embraced sustainable development as the driving paradigm for the next 15 years. These objectives are highly consistent with the research conducted within the Sustainability theme. This shows that our work is socially relevant on a global scale and underlines why this, sometimes extremely complex, research is needed. These big societal questions are our point of departure.
In view of the wide range of research disciplines within the research theme, community building must be heavily emphasised, in addition to internal and external communications. This refers not only to the large community of outstanding scientists at Utrecht University who work on the topic of Sustainability, but also a broader community of our strategic partners, with whom we are
working towards a sustainable future. A strong community behind us will generate stronger commitment to the cause, more transfer of knowledge made easier, and more opportunities for collaboration and co-creation. See Chapter B.1.4 for more detailed information.
Phase 3: Implementation
Phase 3 involves implementing our communications plan. We will improve the communications materials we have already developed, like websites, videos, longreads and flyers. And create new ones for the mix of types of marketing communications as needed. Finally, we will continually evaluate the communications plan as a whole and improve, adjust or supplement it where necessary.
