Progetto cofinanziato dall’Unione Europea, dallo Stato Italiano e dalla Regione Campania, nell’ambito del POR Campania FESR 2014-2020.
Project Brief
The internationalization project called EOL.INT and developed by Eolpower Investments srl was co-financed by the European Union, the Italian State and the Campania Region as part of the POR Campania FESR 2014-2020 as established by the Executive Decree no. 12 of 25/01/2019 (CUP B25F19000180007).
The Internationalization Program has allowed Eolpower Investments to advertise its brand on the international market focusing on the UK and China where the Ocean Energy market demand represents a strong issue.
The ocean energy industry has an enormous potential as according to the World Energy Council it is possible to produce about 1,200 TWh / year from sea currents and about 29,500 TWh / year from waves. The UK Carbon Trust estimates that, between 2010 and 2050, the world market for wave and tidal energy could reach 535 billion euros. Although the ocean resource is considered a very attractive source of energy, the technologies dedicated to the exploitation of this resource are currently stuck at a prototype and / or pre-commercial level.
Furthermore, the enormous potential of the ocean energy sector is recognized by the European Union considering that two thirds of our planet is covered by the ocean. The European Commission has been funding ocean energy research since the late 1980s (2nd Framework Program). The amount of funds disbursed has increased significantly over time, particularly since 2002 (beginning of the 6th Framework Program), highlighting the growing importance of ocean energy.
Eolpower, through communication actions (new website, launch of social and web marketing campaigns) and targeted studies on new markets, has implemented the internationalization program by promoting exchange relationships with foreign countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was not possible to take part in planned trade fairs, creating therefore a gap between the expected results and the achieved ones. Despite this it was possible, however, to reach and collect a satisfactory number of potential buyers and followers on the target markets.
Main objectives of the project
- Develop and strengthen the brand awareness on the international market by
implementing communication and promotion actions in the targeted geographic areas, mainly UK and China, considered far more attractive for business opportunities;
- Analyse and increase knowledge of the latter foreign markets (define any regulation and
or tax barriers; define the size of the market and its development trend) for the identification of real needs;
- Meet numerous operators in the industry (potential customers, engineering companies, energy suppliers);
- Manage the business and possibly produce part of the offered product locally. The main
objective of this activity therefore consists in identifying potential strategic partners who can guarantee these conditions and implement specific agreements with them in order to maximize the future commercial offer and competitive positioning.
Project Innovation
Instead of listing generic and standardized marketing activities, the program aims at a specific objective in terms of: service to be conveyed, area of interest and type of customer to be acquired, objective to be achieved with a plurality of coordinated channels: institutional web, social media, trade fairs, high-profile advertising (dedicated session during sector trade fairs, partnerships in technical conferences) and, above all, by taking advantage of specialized consultancy activities, both from a commercial, tax and legal point of view. These latter aspects, in a highly technological sector where intellectual property must be protected, are key issues.
Performed activities
Development of communication activities:
- Development of an English website aimed at promotional activities including the SEO, SEM optimization in order to improve online research;
- Creation of an official LinkedIn page in English;
- UK-focused web marketing campaign aimed at advertising the website and the LinkedIn page, in order to increase company’s awareness, create a 24h campaign and optimize customer achievement as well as acquiring new contracts.
Support of consultants specialized in internationalization programs:
- Development of a Marketing Plan focused on target countries (China and UK) to define the state of the art of the company (competitor market, distribution channels, definition of lead partners) and identify critical issues.
- Preparation of a Feasibility Study to establish a commercial network to target
countries defining a market penetration strategy and compatible action plan.
- Search for international operators and partners to develop new market opportunities by identifying foreign players according to geographic, channel and product coverage KPIs.
Achievments
Eolpower entrusted a team of dedicated experts to carry out a market analysis of the target countries, identify and plan a market sales strategy.
Relations, commercial negotiations and international partner acquisitions have been accomplished.
A strong communication strategy was put in place, designed ad hoc for the chosen markets and in particular the new website www.eolpowerinvestments.com was created in English, indexed through a SEO and SEM strategy in order to increase online visibility.
Finally, a social web strategy was carried out through the creation of an English LinkedIn profile and a targeted web marketing campaign was put in place for the UK market.
Thanks to the implemented Internationalization Program, the expected results have been achieved, as follows:
- Risk diversification: focusing on markets other than the Italian one will allow the company, in times of recession in the local market, to avoid suffering severe blows due to the decrease in demand;
- Lead generation for future sales opportunities with the objective of one or more installations within a one – two years span;
- Increase turnover and business profitability.
