DNV GL is the independent expert in risk management and quality assurance. As much as 70% of its activities are related to the global energy market, providing testing, certification and independent advisory services. Instatrust – one of DNV GL’s ventures – is a digital marketplace for efficient and transparent trade of renewable power.

Innovation is key to staying market leader in a rapidly changing, sustainability-focused energy industry. DNV GL’s internal incubator programme encourages employees to pitch innovative ideas that contribute to a safer future based on clean energy. Due to the existing workload of the marketing & communications department the promising ventures could not be properly served. For energy venture Instatrust, especially, the need for focus and dedication to get this innovative product to market quick was essential. In fact, speed and effective insights were going to be key to gaining a foothold in a new, yet highly competitive market.

Execute the marketing and communications strategy in line with the growth ambition of the energy venture Instatrust. Maximize the use of existing marketing and communications within DNV GL – as well as external contractors – and create cross-departmental synergies. Such synergy will boost internal awareness and enable the venture not only to ride ‘piggy-back’ on corporate, energy-related marketing and communications efforts and events, but also leverage internal expertise and know-how. Marketing and communications strategy is focused on positioning Instatrust as a thought leader and the to-go-to, independent, online renewable energy marketplace. In this way, it is hoped to generate a customer base that will act as flywheel to attract new prospects.

We first checked in with all internal stakeholders located in four countries. This was done to get a full understanding of the product and the renewable energy market. At the same time, by latching on to existing DNV GL marketing and communication activities, we ensured marketing efforts for Instatrust could be done on the fly. Creating credibility is the primary strategy. This meant doing things such as:

• Creating synergies across teams with social and cultural differences and ensuring everybody was telling the same thought leadership story. Building on internal know-how, we developed a white papers and blog articles for each stage of the customer journey and organised successful webinars.
• Become visible in the market by making sure Instatrust is present at key industry events. Providing valuable insights, rather than selling Instatrust, in order to capture best quality leads and prospects.

‘Instratrust is everywhere, I just had to know more about it’, was what a new prospect commented. Which is probably the best proof that we did it right. In fact, in a difficult market, creating the trust that leads to a quadrupling of Instatrust’s project volume (from 1 TWh to 4 TWh) in just 3 months’ time, is what dreams (and Instatrust’s success) are made of.