Analysis Of The Market Surveillance Panel Reports In Terms Of Communication Techniques Applied

Background: The Market Surveillance Panel releases the reports on the activities related to- and behavior in- the wholesale electricity markets administered by Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). The reports prepared by Market Assessment Unit are published on the OEB (Ontario Energy Board) website (oeb. ca). The purpose of this memo is to address the concerns of Market Assessment Unit regarding the communication techniques applied so far and develop a holistic communications strategy to reach out effectively to the target audience through the medium of these reports.

Target Audience: The target audience for these public facing reports published on the official website ranges from informed government staff, market participants, Market Surveillance Panel members, economists, other stakeholders and well-informed journalists to general public who are interested in the electricity market.

Key Findings: There are a number of findings from the past reports which explain the purpose of this memo.

Design Elements:

• The chapters of MSP reports contain one common executive summary and usage of white space is limited.
• There is inconsistency observed in the color palette used for these reports.
• Use of Infographics and visual elements are limited.
• The division of topics is not visible clearly creating ambiguity for the readers.
• Limited use of bullet points and short sentences to explain the topics.
• Overindulgence of Italics feature in the reports affecting readability.

Format of the Report:

• There are no sections at the beginning or the end of the chapters which summarize or provide key elements in a brief manner for the ease of readers.
• Absence of pull-quotes and sidebars which can improve the user experience
• Absence of the interactive elements in PDF to skip and go to the desired section in a click
• Lengthy charts with data in place of attractive graphs or infographics.

Social Media Awareness on Website:

• No thumbnails associated with the report titles on website
• Limited or no use of pictures to depict the key findings
• No activity related to mailer blast or mention in the newsletter to promote the reports.
• Direct mail preceding the publish of the reports is missing
• There is no mention on the Twitter and LinkedIn accounts of OEB website.
• A clear drop-down on website is missing which can direct the user smoothly to the reports.
• Lack of awareness about the publish date among the key users. Communication Goals:

Develop a template on Microsoft Word for uniformity in format and structure of the report

• Division of each section as a standalone report in place of separate chapters will ensure readers can directly access the topic of interest.
• Each report written in short paragraph form with intermittent and consistent headings describing each event and the graphical representation and infographics will enhance readability
• We can avoid the italics fonts and use complementary fonts to define headings more clearly and legibly.
• Commentary and Market Considerations vs Commentary and Market Considerationso

Color scheme consistency throughout the report to maintain attention of the intended audience. Color scheme and theme in sync with the website and colors used on the logo. The comparative scheme used below will offer consistency and contrast. We can ensure a greater visual appeal by including a comparative color scheme in place of a monochromatic scheme.

Maintain the template for the annual reports as well as other standalone reports like “History of the Market” to maintain authenticity and consistency

• Mention the highlights at the beginning of each chapter for the event related and explained in that chapter with minimal use of jargons for better understanding among audience. Clear and concise language will promote positive user experience.
• Include technical details of the investigations in the form of charts and graphs and mention the sources and rationale behind the findings for better interpretation of the reports.
• Provide a brief description of the investigation and its methods for clarity and a summary with Case details, Investigation comments and market considerations in brief for a “quick read” at the end of each chapter.

Redesigning the report on In Design to enhance the visual appeal of the report that improves engagement with target audience.

• Introduce desirable features like sidebar and pull-quotes to ensure better user experience and achieve the undivided attention of the target audience.
• Introduce other add-on elements of design such as pictures, graphs, infographics which result in increasing the visual appeal.
• Interactive PDF will ensure that audience can navigate and click through the sections of their interest directly.
• The color scheme should follow either the split complementary method or the analogous method in order to look professionally good.
• We can send customized mails to our targeted and segmented audience about the published reports

Summary and Projection:

• The main agenda is to improve the communication and engagement with the target audiences resulting in the widespread reach of reports and influence to a broader audience.
• The desired effect is to ensure a positive level of understanding from the audience for these high-level public facing reports and initiate a way to communicate with general public and informed audience about the electricity market development.
• Due to certain limitations on the scope of social media activity surrounding publish of these reports, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness or the lack of it on the basis of social media mentions in twitter or LinkedIn.