Clearer positioning as a yachting sustainability authority
Case study
Positioning, Trust-Building and Strategic Communications
Customer Profile
Name: SEA Index®
Industry: Non-profit, superyacht industry, maritime sector
Website:
www.sea-index.com
Offering: Independent, third-party-verified CO2 benchmarking tool, certification and retrofitting guidance for yachts 24m+. A growing network of participating ports, marinas, harbours and institutional members working on the decarbonisation of the yacht industry
Target audience: Yacht owners, captains, shipyards, operators of ports, marinas and harbours, insurers
Background
Launched by the Yacht Club de Monaco under the aegis of the ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ initiative, the SEA Index is a CO2 benchmarking tool designed to enable superyacht stakeholders to accurately measure carbon emissions and receive professional guidance on retrofitting superyachts.
Working in conjunction with regulatory advisory bodies and maritime class societies, including Lloyd’s Register and RINA, SEA Index provides objective, science-based tools and third-party-verified certification to empower yacht owners, designers and shipyards to reduce their environmental impact.
Challenge
With a unique target audience profile consisting predominantly of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWIs) and a complex market, SEA Index sought to differentiate itself from comparable tools and organisations, expand its reach beyond its HQ in Monaco and develop its brand to increase engagement throughout the sector.
Its success depends on earning trust from:
- Yacht owners and managers
- Ports and marinas across jurisdictions
- Classification societies and technical authorities
- Institutions, foundations, and policymakers
At this stage, SEA Index did not need traditional marketing.
It needed clarity, credibility, and strategic alignment across complex stakeholders — without compromising objectivity.
How Orange Bird Helped
Orange Bird acted as Strategic Climate Communications Partner, supporting SEA Index in strengthening its positioning, authority, and long-term communicative resilience. Our work included:
01/
Stakeholder Engagement
We kicked off our collaboration with a dedicated in-house foundational workshop. Gathering critical insights from SEA Index stakeholders, we learned more about the organisation’s operations, its current performance and perceived blockers.
02/
Competitive Analysis
Our experienced researchers assessed the market, identifying competing organisations and initiatives and analysing how the organisation’s unique value propositions (UVPs) compared with alternative approaches to superyacht carbon intensity assessment, including differences in positioning, communication and application.
03/
Audience and Market Insights
We combined market research with qualitative stakeholder interviews to build a clear understanding of the superyacht sustainability landscape. This included analysing audience needs, behaviours and priorities, and mapping key stakeholder groups to inform how the SEA Index could effectively communicate its value and engage target segments.
04/
Market Differentiation and Positioning
Our analysis highlighted the organisation’s science-based approach to carbon intensity, grounded in the EEDI and aligned with maritime regulations. This positions the organisation as a credible and rigorous actor in a sector where environmental claims are often inconsistent, reinforcing stakeholder trust and engagement. We turned our insights into sharper value propositions and messaging, ensuring target audiences recognise the unique value SEA Index brings to the sector.
05/
Strategy Development
Drawing on insights from stakeholder engagement, competitive analysis and market differentiation, we developed an integrated omnichannel strategy for SEA Index. The strategy leveraged these insights to strengthen brand visibility, support entry into new markets and deepen engagement with key stakeholders across the superyacht sustainability ecosystem.
06/
Brand Identity
We developed three distinct visual identities to refine the SEA Index brand and better reflect its science-based approach. After SEA Index selected their preferred option, we enhanced visual and verbal elements, created formal brand guidelines and ensured clarity, consistency and recognisability across channels. These refinements strengthened stakeholder engagement and reinforced the organisation’s position as a trusted authority in superyacht sustainability.
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07/
Brand Application
We applied the refined brand across key marketing materials, including a brochure and flyer, to demonstrate how the identity could be consistently and effectively implemented. These assets incorporated QR codes to connect offline touchpoints with digital content, helping to support integrated engagement and encourage interaction across channels while maintaining clarity and consistency in brand communication.
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08/
Institutional Communications
We supported SEA Index in refining its institutional communications to align with its science-based positioning and overarching objectives of geographical expansion and increased credibility. This included developing clear, consistent messaging to support engagement with institutional stakeholders, including superyacht insurers, maritime class societies and regulatory bodies, helping to articulate the organisation’s purpose, methodology and regulatory alignment in ways that build trust across new and existing markets.
09/
Thought Leadership and Credibility Building
We supported SEA Index in developing thought leadership content that translated complex technical, scientific and regulatory information into clear, accessible narratives for different audience segments and strengthening SEA Index’s role as a trusted reference point.
From the ‘Hidden Costs of Unsustainable Yachting’ to the impact of ocean acidification on the yachting sector, our sustainable content marketing team conducted thorough research to draft original and insightful articles, editorials, blog posts and produced expert-led content in collaboration with class societies, industry authorities and more.
This approach helped extend the organisation’s reach and visibility, with our ‘Applying the EEDI/EEXI to the superyacht sector’ article becoming SEA Index’s most engaged-with content in 2025, contributing to credibility-building and wider awareness of its methodology and mission.
Applying the EEDI / EEXI to the Superyacht Sector: Why Globally Recognised Methodologies Matter
How does ocean acidification impact yachting and yachting destinations?
Hidden Costs of Unsustainable Yachting
Utilising methanol fuel cell technology to reduce the environmental impact of yachting
Noise pollution in yachting and how we can reduce It
10/
AI Discoverability
We conducted a preliminary AI discoverability assessment to evaluate how SEA Index surfaces across emerging AI-powered tools, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. Based on this assessment, we recommended next steps to inform future, targeted strategies for increasing visibility and representation within AI-generated responses.
11/
Website Optimisation
We conducted a comprehensive website audit, analysed the user journey, and implemented enhancements to performance and usability, while rolling out the refreshed SEA Index brand online. These optimisations, aligned with our wider strategic marketing activities, set the foundation for measurable improvements in engagement and visibility, resulting in:
157.8%
increase in active users
48.5%
increase in new users
57.7%
increase in average
engagement time
engagement time
147.5%
increase in organic
search sessions
search sessions
12/
Ecosystem and Partnership Communications
Reducing the environmental impact of yachting requires a sector-wide approach, which is why we worked with SEA Index to optimise its ecosystem infrastructure. Our team advised SEA Index on joint communications, leveraging available resources while maintaining the brand’s independence. We developed onboarding narratives, created explanatory, ‘How It Works’ materials to increase accessibility and developed communications frameworks and onboarding packs for ports and marinas to accelerate the growth of the SEA Index network and maximise its influence.
The Impact
Orange Bird helps established climate leaders turn complexity into clarity, and trust into long-term impact.
Our collaboration and strategic communications advisory enabled SEA Index to achieve its objectives and ensured:
Stronger trust across institutional and industry stakeholders
A scalable communications foundation for partnerships and expansion
Increased confidence navigating a fragmented, high-risk ecosystem
Why It Matters
SEA Index’s challenge is shared by many established sustainability initiatives: when credibility matters more than visibility, marketing alone is not enough.
This collaboration shows how Orange Bird supports organisations that have outgrown promotion and require strategic communications to scale influence responsibly.
What SEA Index Says about Working with Orange Bird
Working with Orange Bird was a real pleasure. Our collaboration was smooth, constructive, and truly partnership‑driven.
I genuinely appreciated the quality of the work delivered: rigorous, creative, and well aligned with the complexity of our ecosystem.
I’m grateful for the support throughout the project and the tangible results we achieved together.
Natalie Quévert,
General Secretary, Superyacht Eco Association
Next Steps
Learn about how your organisation can partner with Orange Bird to successfully communicate your vision to potential customers. We’re excited to help you deliver your value for people and the planet.
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