The European Road Initiative (ERI) is a Europe-wide project, led by oil giant Nynas and backed by two of the biggest road industry multinationals based in Europe. Their collective aim is to launch and develop awareness of a new brand for ‘roads’.

The ERI is determined to positively reinforce the perception of roads among the general public, an audience never targeted by the European road industry before. Its ultimate aim is to improve roads across Europe.

More specifically, the ERI approached friend to ask us how they could motivate and mobilise the general public to campaign for better roads in Europe – on local, national and continental levels – via social media and online PR.

Objective

The overall objective for the ERI was to answer the following questions:

• Do the general public talk about roads and road improvement online?
• Who are they? Who are they most influenced by?
• Can we reach them via social media?
• How do we reach them?
• What are they saying and how are they saying it?
• How can the ERI join existing conversations – and create new ones?

Solution

friend undertook a pan-European social media research project to research the markets in the UK, France and Germany.

Our highly experienced team, including native language speakers, discovered and analysed a vast amount of information and data for all countries. We then collated and organised our findings to directly answer our clients’ brief.

By developing this research further we created a targeted European social media and online PR strategy for the ERI, to be implemented over the next five years.

Results

We can’t talk about the specific findings at the moment, as they are confidential, but we can say that we have created a wealth of insight and new knowledge for the ERI. Our work has highlighted some major opportunities for them – both online AND offline.

friend presented the work to senior directors in Brussels in October 2009. As a result, the work has been unanimously praised and now forms the basis of the brand development project. friend continues to work with the ERI over the next year, and beyond, to implement the strategy.