Roseville Environmental Utilities
Services Provided:
- Strategic Marketing Plan development and implementation
- Annual plan and budget development
- Media planning and placement for all divisions of Environmental Utilities
- Advertising creative development (including print, out-of-home, radio, streaming and online ads)
- Public Relations support (including media relations, community outreach and partnership development)
Challenge:
Access to clean drinking water, reliable sewer services and other utilities are not top-of-mind among most residents or businesses. Many services, such as wastewater treatment, solid waste disposal, stormwater quality programs, and recycled water are just not “sexy” topics, and the only time users think about these services is when paying their utilities bill. This means that customers are focused only on the cost, not the benefits of these essential services. Our challenge is to raise the understanding of how these utility services contribute to quality of life in Roseville, and how despite being one of the most innovative, environmentally friendly, and technologically advanced utilities in the region, Environmental Utilities is still competitively priced.
Approach:
We began with a thorough analysis of the entire Environmental Utilities Department messaging platform, including messaging for the separate divisions that comprise the department. We conducted a review of all existing outreach materials, all external touch points with ratepayers and other stakeholders, and a review of your existing public opinion surveys. After gaining a broad understanding of your communications and marketing challenges, we facilitated meetings with key leadership throughout the Department to gain more insights into potential strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the Department and its divisions.
A comprehensive situation analysis was completed to serve as the framework of the three-year Strategic Marketing Plan, which included messaging concepts, platforms and implementation for the Department and each of its four divisions.
Following approval of the Strategic Marketing Plan, we developed an implementation plan. It includes a brand identity package to create a unified brand with distinct divisions, creative material development (including print, online and radio ads, and collateral) media planning and placement to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing media budget, and an advertising campaign rollout plan for each of the divisions.
One of our strengths is a relentless focus on the approved strategy. Every execution must align with the strategy. It sounds simple, but it requires great dedication. This is one of the things we believe we do better than anyone else.
Results Achieved:
- A 10 percent increase in water efficiency appointments within two months of the launch of our first campaign
- More than 18.8 million media impressions among our targeted audiences, with very limited spill-over outside of Roseville
- Directed over 22,000 visitors to our specified website pages
- Adoption of a year-long successful public relations initiative called “UtiliTour,” designed to showcase the community value of Environmental Utilities to Roseville residents
- Increased awareness of the Water-Wise House Calls within the first year of the campaign