Headquartered in Ames, Iowa, Renewable Energy Group is an international producer of sustainable fuels. The organization recycles waste and by-product fats and oils into easy-to-use fuels that make an immediate impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To spread awareness of its renewable fuels and ways to combat climate change, Renewable Energy Group had previously partnered with collegiate athletic programs in Iowa. This summer, it was time to bring their message to a worldwide stage.
Recently, Renewable Energy Group launched a global partnership with the English Premier League soccer club Manchester United, one of the most recognizable brands in the world. The two sides are teaming up with a shared mission to tackle climate change and create a cleaner world. Together they will raise awareness of Renewable Energy Group’s sustainable fuels and encourage positive environmental change among Manchester United’s more than one billion fans and followers, and beyond.
As Renewable Energy Group prepared for this unprecedented undertaking, they enlisted Tunheim to develop an integrated public relations plan promoting the launch of the partnership. The launch plans came together quickly, and Tunheim crafted a strategic communications roadmap leading up to the announcement.
Of course, an international partnership necessitated an international launch. And with its European headquarters located in Amsterdam and two biorefineries in Germany, Renewable Energy wanted to make a splash in two key international markets.
After crafting the initial PR plan, Tunheim engaged two of its partner agencies in the Netherlands and Germany through IPREX. Established in 1983, IPREX is a global network of public relations and communications agencies with 1,600 staff and 110 offices worldwide. Whenever Tunheim is seeking specific expertise, or support in an international market, we can connect with communications professionals around the globe who are perfectly equipped for the job.
With our partners waiting in the wings to translate the press release and execute media outreach in Germany and the Netherlands, Tunheim drafted and edited various materials, including the press release, messaging targeted to multiple key audiences, frequently asked questions, and pitches tailored to reporters covering the energy, transportation, retail and business sectors. Tunheim and our international partners also helped Renewable Energy Group navigate the media landscape by developing trade and consumer media lists dedicated to each of these industries.
On July 22, Renewable Energy Group and Manchester United announced their new journey together to a global audience, taking their joint sustainability commitment to a new level. Tunheim helped with the launch by pitching reporters across the U.S. while monitoring for media coverage and coordinating press release distributions in two European countries.
In the month of August, the partnership will take a grander stage, as “Man U” kicks off the Premier League season on its home pitch at historic Old Trafford Stadium, with Renewable Energy Group advertising and branding around the venue. As the partnership expands onto digital and social platforms, and takes shape in numerous other ways, Tunheim will continue to provide communications counsel to and collaborate with Renewable Energy Group on fueling a more sustainable future.
To learn more about the partnership and how Renewable Energy Group’s solutions are creating a cleaner world, click here. And you can explore Tunheim’s public relations capabilities, and other case studies, by clicking here.
