Strengthen Danfoss' sustainability position and relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic while helping them remain focused on the global green transition.

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Like everyone and everything, Danfoss was affected by the COVID-19 crisis. But, true to the core values of its'Engineering Tomorrow' brand position, Danfoss looked not at the challenges brought forth by the pandemic, but to the opportunities. By focusing on the green transition and our 'new normal', the pandemic created a springboard from which Danfoss could propel its sustainable agenda. With the help of Kunde &Co, a concept and narrative were developed that not only illuminate the company's relevance within the sustainable transformation, but which strengthen the brand position.

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Through research and workshops, Kunde & Co and Danfoss came up with four key themes that drive Danfoss' internal sustainability journey: existing solutions for decarbonisation, sector integration, innovation and intelligent use of resources. These became the starting point for the development of the final concept: the 'Green Restart Series' – leading to creation of five mini films in which Danfoss breaks down how the world can reboot after major crises. The series is supported by campaign elements and a communication plan that strengthens Danfoss' position towards business-critical audiences.

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The Green Restart Series is based on solutions and technologies available today as well as the huge socio-economic potential in electrification of transport and machinery, future-proofing and building green infrastructure, and decarbonising industries. The series also mentions the need to move from talk to action and shows how past crises have led to major societal shifts. It also shows how the green transition does not have to come at the expense of the economy and employment, but, in actual fact, can future-proof and support the global economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19.

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In addition to the series which only briefly touches upon the solutions Danfoss works with, several other elements were developed to further qualify the story. These included a content hub, case film, white paper and short film featuring Danfoss CEO Kim Fausing discussing how to put the Green Restart into practice. In order to gain relevance among stakeholders and ensure the message covered the entire core business, a story was needed that could be scaled up or down with ease while being activated across various industrial verticals. However, COVID-19 limited creation of new content which is why it was decided upon to further develop Danfoss’ 2019 campaign 'This is where the transformation starts'. The result was an updated story built on Danfoss’ forward-thinking sustainability strategy and designed to illustrate the real and tangible changes that can be enacted in our new normal.

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Overall, the roll-out targeted two core groups within Europe: decision-makers in industries where Danfoss has an active role and politicians, public decision-makers and opinion leaders. Externally, the launch was pushed out on social platforms. The relevance and timing of the campaign resonated clearly with both targetaudiences, generating 81% more video views than expected and an engagement rate +160% greater than expected.

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"The Green Restart Series is a result of a difficult situation at a difficult time. We were forced to work together in new and flexible ways and here our collaboration with our public affairs department became essential for us to stay sharp and relevant. Our content only became more topical by being launched at the beginning of the pandemic. The positive effect on our positioning is probably due to the fact we dared to stand by the notionthat overcoming the crisis should not be at the expense of the green transformation that is part of our DNA."

– Mette Munk, Head of Group Branding, Danfoss

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The campaign first ran in individual markets, rolling out in southern Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific Islands after the successful pilot phase. Another more specialised initiative was also launched with an aim to make Danfoss relevant to stakeholders within Germany’s building sector who want to take advantage of green subsidies. All communication was widely adopted by various business units within Danfoss and garnered broad external support from within the market. The concept was also quickly incorporated across Danfoss’ external and internal materials. In doing so, this created a stronger link between Danfoss and the green agenda and ensured Danfoss remained relevant and top-of-mind throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

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