NESS 2.

0 Communications Strategy
Discussion Document
July 2010

Figure 1 High Country Regeneration Logo Mock-Up

Introduction
Social Ventures Media has been asked to provide groundwork for a
Communications Strategy for the second stage development of the New
England Sustainability Strategy (NESS).

This discussion paper proposes a basic Communications framework that

takes into consideration the needs/objectives of NESS 2.0 and the proposed
synergies with the High Country Urban Biodiversity Project (HiCUB) currently
running in the New England Region.

Supplementary to this paper is the Communications Strategy document for

HiCUB

Synergy with HiCUB

A Communications Strategy has been drawn up for HiCUB which addresses

general communications needs for the project – and much of that document is
available to model the Communications needs and solutions for NESS as the
management of NESS seeks to communicate its evolution to NESS 2.0.

It also seeds the branding concept of other existing and future projects that fit
under the banner of “High Country” Biodiversity.

The “High Country” branding concept, the communications channels,

audiences and some of the HiCUB messaging outlined in that strategy offer
shared opportunity for both NESS & HiCUB.

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While HiCUB focuses it‟s activity on the urban environments of Walcha,
Uralla, Armidale and Guyra specifically – NESS, through the proposed “High
Country Regeneration” project can position itself to promote and advance
activity and organisations across the whole of the New England region
engaged in both urban and rural Biodiversity regeneration/rehabilitation. In
this way it has the potential to brand the „Regional Regeneration‟ stream of
the NESS Foundation Strategy.

The rationale underlying this is that there have been numerous such
undertakings in the past – such as Nova Anglica – and there are currently
many in progress or in the planning stage and that NESS is the ideal vehicle
to promote, document and support these.

Through targeted communications NESS can serve as the information

portal/knowledge commons for the region in relation to biodiversity and
regeneration. Promoting the High Country brand and HiCUB as a flagship
activity are the opportunity for NESS to take up this position.

NESS - Communicating as Whole of Community Enterprise

Currently NESS operates (or seeks to) in these key areas.

 Proposing a governance model for small and large scale Sustainability

projects/enterprise based on community input, LGA integration and
best practice that is identifiable as particular to the New England
Region and its communities.

 Facilitating dialogue, collaboration and partnerships across the region

between a diverse range of stakeholders around issues of
Sustainability

 Initiating, implementing and supporting large scale Sustainability

initiatives – eg Farming the Sun, High Country Regeneration etc

 Providing an information gateway or portal for Sustainability in the New

England Region and build a knowledge commons – that harnesses
common goals, knowledge and practice in Sustainability for the New
England region.

These points and the objectives stated in the Completing NESS documents
form the basis of communications for the next phase of work on NESS.

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Additional Context setting

ness.wikidot.com

The initial web presence for NESS was established in 2008, intended as a
working example of Web 2.0 technologies.

Its primary purpose was to hold documentation of some of the outcomes of

the Public Forum and providing a shared facility for ongoing community use.

Subsequently the site has primarily been used by NESS to promote flagship
activities auspiced and initiated by NESS.

As a community venture, there was only a small uptake from the community
and that was primarily a short lived use of the forum facility on the site by
members of the community.

The site has served well to archive most of NESS activity since 2008.

Subsequent to the forum there has been a marked change and development
in how organisations, groups & projects involved with Sustainability issues
have employed Communications, including online & digital technologies in the
NESS “footprint”.

A stronger and more diverse range of web sites and networks is apparent
mid-2010 particularly in the Walcha, Uralla, Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra
areas and also in other New England communities

To help further develop and support these and the NESS 2 objectives there is
a need to have some kind of centralised and shared portal to these sites and
networks.

The Portal/Commons
A significant objective stated for NESS 2.0 which also serves to form the basis
of the design for the NESS online presence.

Strategic Communications design requires preliminary work in these areas:

 Restate NESS mission as it is at mid 2010

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 Articulate NESS governance model

 Promotion and branding of NESS, Farming the Sun, High Country

Regeneration and Sustainable New England Youth Congress (SNEYC
currently aka YOUTH LEADing New England Congress)

 Create a significant promotional framework for all New England

Sustainability activity - grass roots regeneration of biodiversity,
business, eco trade, landcare, renewables development & roll-out,
local tech innovation, education etc

 ness.wikidot.com as it stands is archived in the Commons and a new

online service be developed and tested there before the NESS 2.0 site
is ported to its own appropriate Content Management System and
dedicated domain and server

 Establish the framework for community construction of online

Knowledge and SkillsBase Commons

 Be instrumental in the GIS mapping and digital documentation of all

New England Sustainability activity for a minimum of 3 years

 Facilitate a Development Program to consolidate partnerships,

networks and communities of interest - governmental; not-for-profit &
NGO sectors; philanthropy & funding agencies; corporate and private
sector; service clubs; education, employment and training sectors

Message Modes

Primary mode is Engagement/Mobilisation – which seeks to actively engage

individuals and groups and organizations in the advocacy for and support and
promotion of the New England Sustainability Strategy.

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Key questions:
 Who needs to be mobilised.
 To what purpose?
 What is the call to action?

This does not exclude Information/Education and Promotion/Marketing

modes as part of the Communications Strategies that NESS adopts – and in
fact informs these communications modes. The implementation of the
strategy will call for shifts in emphasis at different stages of NESS 2.0
development.

Message Design

Key Messaging themes, around which all messaging is designed and

clustered.

 Change – NESS 2.0 is a refit to suit the needs of the Sustainability

Communities of Interest

 Initiatives (Current and future) – including Sustainability Fund, LGA

Integration Model, Sustainability Roundtable & Scorecard and HiCUB
Synergy

 Achievements – Both NESS and the New England Region

Sustainability activity.

Communications Objectives:

Key Objectives

 Engage & Mobilise

 Change Awareness

 Improve Practice

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Communications Tools

Adoption and adaptation of the HiCUB Community Communications Strategy

– ( prepared by Social Ventures Media, May – July 2010)

The following are the “landscape” scale processes/campaign architectures

 Marketing & Promotion

 Advocacy campaigns

 Public Relations - Events/Campaigns

 Cultural and Civic participation projects/events

 Public Forums, Community Consultations and presentations

 Community Media and Communications capacity building

 Online Communities through Blogging and Social Networking and other

Web 2.0 technologies – eg hicub.posterous.com and
blueechidna.blogspot.com, Spatial Vision, Facebook, etc.

Particular, at-hand Channels/Tools are to be identified according to resources,

budget and emergent needs. An initial list is to be found in the HiCUB
Communication Strategy document.

Media Releases TV Advertising Print Advertising features/

advertorials
Media Kit Signs Education Supplements
Media Invites/VIP Invites Shop-a-Dockets Magazines
Radio Advertising Supermarket Newsletters
trolleys
Radio Interviews/talkback Milk Cartons Print News Stories
discussion
TV Community Service Press Ads Digital Stories eg Place
Announcements Stories
Telephone Email Online Viral marketing
Other web channels Web Site Staff Bulletins/Messaging
Briefing Notes

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High Country Regeneration( HCR)

A key tool is the High Country Regeneration logo – a visual connection

between HCR ( and therefore NESS) and HiCUB. using elements of the
HICUB design and colour scheme – the representations of Eucalyptus Nova
Anglica; the New England Tablelands sectional profile with High Country
Regeneration caption.

Figure 6 HCR logo Mock-Up

Target Audiences

As per the HiCUB list – beginning here reinforces the NESS HiCUB Synergies
Identifying additional NESS specific audiences

Based on the existing list in the HiCUB Business Plan:-

 Residents, businesses and community based organisations in the

towns of Walcha, Uralla, Armidale and Guyra

 LGAs Walcha, Uralla, Armidale Dumaresq & Guyra Shire Councils and
key staff

 HiCUB Funding Application Consortium Members

 NESS Executive and the NESS network including existing

sustainability groups

 UNE, TAFE – student & staff bodies, relevant schools, courses and
associations ( including alumni)

 HiCUB Advisory Committee & Steering Committee

 New England Weeds Authority

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 Northern Inland Regional Waste Alliance

 CMA‟s – Northern Rivers, Namoi, Border Rivers-Gwydir and their

networks

 Livestock Health & Pest Authority and its networks

 SNELCC and its Landcare networks ( rural landcare)

 SLEX and participating groups

 Existing Community Groups ( both environmental and other clubs,

groups and organisations eg Rotary, Lions, Scouts,)

 Indigenous Community groups

 Youth of the four communities ( 12 yrs - 24yrs) – through Youth Lead –

refer NESS

 Primary & High Schools in the four LGA‟s – Teachers & Students

 National Parks Association

Other regional and state agencies

 The NSW Environmental Trust & DEWCC

 New members of community – new residents, tree-changers. migrants

& international students etc

 Locally based experts, mentors and advisors

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NESS 2.0 Web

Web Portal Design Storyboard Template

The front end redesign of the NESS site complies with the Web 2.0 principles
of:
1. being an aggregation of links and feeds offering apparent and visible
access to all services and information the site contains
2. User driven functionality
3. User centred design

Initially accommodating the following :

 Link to NESS Governance Model & NESS Mission Statement etc
 Information feeds – eg NEON Calendar,
 Sponsors & partners
 LGA Integration
 Advertising/promotions
 Cross links – eg SLA/Transition Towns,
 Promotions – SLEX
 Major promotions – FTS, HCR & YOUTH LEADing ( rebranded as
SNEYC)
 Current Sustainablity in New England news and information
 The Commons (Knowledge, Information)
 The Foundation
 User/member contributions

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