BayWa r.e. is a global renewable energy developer, service provider and distributor. Ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP26, BayWa r.e. wanted to bring added urgency to their messaging, find a new media angle that could underline the severity of the climate crisis, and drive awareness among the climate activist community.

To tap into what people really thought about climate change, we used social listening to collate online mentions of the COP conferences between 2017-2021. This enabled us to monitor changes in sentiment and tone over time and to track and compare climate change with topical themes such as the fuel crisis. To bring a new dimension to the conversation, we compared online mentions of COP26 with those of the first series of Netflix sensation Squid Game, drawing parallels between the dystopian landscape in the show and the one on our horizon, unless climate progress is made. This generated headlines that resonated with the national press and restored the spotlight to the climate conversation when it was most needed.

Archetype’s approach gave BayWa r.e. a competitive edge when it came to the discussion around climate goals and COP26, with coverage in CityAM, Vanity Fair Italy and more. It engaged climate activists and national media across Europe with a fresh new angle, and helped cement BayWa r.e.’s position as thought leaders around COP26 and climate action in general.