Without media monitoring, any communication campaign is built only on assumptions, not data. This in-depth research shows the real state of public discourse and answers the key questions: what narratives exist, whose voices are most influential (government, business, NGOs, citizens), where active discussion is taking place (media, Telegram, social networks, YouTube), and which topics may potentially matter.
The Power of Place agency launched its campaign to popularize renewable energy sources (RES) in Ukraine, implemented with the support of the European Climate Foundation, specifically with media monitoring. It covered more than 17 months of public discourse (January 2024 — May 2025), analyzing more than a thousand publications in national media outlets (Ukrainska Pravda, NV, Liga, Ekonomichna Pravda, Forbes Ukraine, Ukrinform, etc.) and social networks (Telegram, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), and provided answers to questions that would otherwise have remained assumptions.
Monitoring Results
The research revealed several fundamental findings that directly influenced the communication strategy of the “Hriie” / “Light Belongs to Us” campaign.
Monitoring finding | Data | What this means for the campaign | Priority |
RES is the undisputed leader in positive mentions | Solar: ~70% positive. “Other RES”: ~69% | The campaign should rely on an existing positive base rather than build it from scratch | High |
Traditional energy dominates attention in social networks | 66.46% of social media views — traditional energy | RES needs active promotion in order to compete for audience attention | High |
Government is the dominant speaker across all types of energy | Highest share of mentions in all categories | Business and citizens are underrepresented, so their voices become a scarce resource for the campaign | High |
General skepticism toward RES exists without a factual basis | 28–38% of negative mentions — “general skepticism” | Fact- and figure-based communication can turn this skepticism into support | High |
RES has no clearly articulated public advocates | Unlike nuclear energy, overall, the RES topic has “no voices in favor” | The campaign needs its own authoritative voices — experts, business, community leaders | High |
Telegram is the key engagement channel for government and business | Highest engagement for almost all types of energy | Telegram distribution of materials through specialized channels should be a priority | High |
Media monitoring did not simply capture the current state of the discourse; it also showed which narratives should be amplified and which should be initiated — and this became the foundation for developing the communication strategy.
Narrative | Strength in media | Conclusion for the campaign | Strategy |
Independence and resilience | Citizens — 47% | The strongest narrative. It responds to the need for survival during the war. | Activate / Amplify / Address |
Economic benefit and payback | All stakeholders ~16–19% | A consensus theme. It requires specific figures and cases. | Activate / Amplify / Address |
International cooperation / European integration | Citizens — minimum (4%) | An underestimated narrative with major potential. There is a gap between its importance for donors and audience understanding. | Activate / Amplify / Address |
Environmental friendliness of RES | Business and citizens ~15–18% | A positive association exists. But “environmental harm” of RES also exists. It needs to be addressed. | Activate / Amplify / Address |
Technological development and innovation | Business ~17–21% | Business is receptive to this narrative. It can become an entry point for B2B communication. | Activate / Amplify / Address |
The most important conclusion is that RES has a positive foundation in society (47%), but this foundation is not supported by concrete voices and facts. At the same time, general skepticism exists because of a lack of knowledge about the topic. Therefore, communication based on real examples and figures can systematically change this picture.
Analysis of Communication Channels Where the Discussion Actually Takes Place
One of the most practical results of the monitoring was the communication channel map, which significantly changed the initial assumptions about where communication should take place.
Thus, the analysis showed that Telegram is the main engagement channel for government and business in the context of all types of energy. Traditional and solar energy are discussed especially actively there. Therefore, all campaign materials should be adapted to the Telegram channel format and distributed through specialized energy and business communities.
Facebook is a platform for citizens and business in the context of solar energy. It has higher emotional engagement and more comments, making it ideal for distributing emotional cases and storytelling formats.
As for traditional media, they are the basis for building trust. The monitoring showed that Ukrainska Pravda, NV, Liga, Ekonomichna Pravda and other outlets define what is considered legitimate and authoritative. Publications there are a signal of seriousness for the government and institutional partners.
How Monitoring Defined the Campaign Architecture
The data obtained became the basis of the communication strategy for the “Hriie” / “Light Belongs to Us” campaign. The umbrella campaign message was formed around two dominant narratives:
for the general public — “RES = independence and resilience” (the strongest narrative among citizens)
for business — “RES = economic benefit + fast payback + ESG.”
These were the themes that resonated most strongly in the monitoring data.
Another priority was addressing skepticism. Monitoring showed that skepticism toward RES is emotional. Therefore, our strategy was built on concrete examples, figures and cases of companies that have already implemented these solutions.
We also saw that the RES discourse lacks strong public advocates and deliberately formed an ecosystem of speakers — from industry associations to local leaders, from business to civic activists. Although donors and international partners provide significant support to the RES sector, this narrative is also almost absent from the public space, especially among citizens. Therefore, the campaign systematically integrated messages about European integration and support from the EBRD, the EU and ECF.
Instead of testing all possible messages and channels by trial and error, our campaign started with answers to questions that are usually clarified only in the process. We clearly understood which narratives to launch, which speakers to involve, in which channels and with which messages. Moreover, the baseline pre-campaign data became a reference point for evaluating effectiveness. Media monitoring turned the broad task of “raising awareness” into a specific operational program.
