An Audacious Idea

It’s not easy to change the world, but a decade ago, Abu Dhabi’s leaders ambitiously launched Masdar, the future energy company. The notion of diversifying a fossil-fuel based economy and using hydrocarbon revenues to invest in future sources of energy appeared, to many people, as much more aspirational than achievable. Cynics abounded. Masdar needed a communications partner that could deliver results as impactful as its vision to truly achieve success.

Engagement and Activation at the Highest Levels

APCO knew that to ensure Masdar achieved the respect and credibility it deserved, we had to pair major activations that captured the imagination with events and initiatives that engaged the highest profile world leaders. So we worked in partnership with Masdar to launch and promote some of the most sophisticated and iconic renewable energy projects in the world. Projects such as: London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm; Shams 1, a dry-cooled, concentrated solar power plant; and Solar Impulse, the first aircraft to circumnavigate the world powered only by the sun, collectively earning Masdar tens of thousands of news stories and hundreds of millions of digital impressions around the world. We help Masdar raise awareness of and drive participation in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which annually attracts the leading minds in energy, business and politics to the UAE, and have positioned visits by leaders such as Ban Ki-Moon, Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, Narendra Modi and Joe Biden to Masdar City. Our integrated communications approach has elevated Masdar’s presence at energy summits across the globe and driven a constant stream of news coverage about its progress and ideas.

Delivering on the Promise

Masdar today is developing one of the world’s most sustainable cities which is also home to cutting-edge research & development; is delivering gigawatts of clean energy into international markets; nurturing future energy leaders; while actively investing in and proving the commercial viability of new industry solutions every day. Together, our communications efforts have put Masdar at the very center of conversations about the future of renewable energy; and helped it diversify into new areas such as water, urban design and women’s empowerment. And, as the audacious idea became a reality, Masdar has become a global leader.