for water and waste water agencies
Increasing Trust, Support and Investment
Utility Branding Network
Welcome to the Utility Branding Network website. Established in 2007, the Utility Branding Network is designed to help water and wastewater agencies better understand branding principles and to help them build a strong, positive brand that clearly communicates the value they provide to their communities. A strong brand increases trust, support, and investment.
News
NEW! The Utility Branding Process: A Systematic Approach to Rate Setting & Investment (June 2010)
The Utility Branding Network has released a new branding process tool designed to help water and wastewater utilities ensure that rates fully fund all operational and capital investment needs. The tool covers the following:
• Clarifying the value that the utility provides to the community.
• Integrating the brand into utility planning processes and the strategic plan.
• Making communications more meaningful and effective.
• Using the brand and investment plans to build community relationships.
• Implementing specific practices that help policy makers feel confident in supporting needed rate increases.
Click here to download the branding process tool.
Click here to download other Network products and publications.
Building Real Confidence with the Consumer Confidence Report (February 2010)
The time for water utilities to produce the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is fast approaching. Since utilities are required to create this document to inform the public, it makes sense to ensure that it actually builds public confidence. In a regulated industry, it is easy to assume that compliance with regulations is enough to meet customers' needs and create confidence.
Compliance is important, but regulations only set a standard. People intuitively understand that someone must ensure the water is safe and reliable every day of the year. Consistently high-quality water is not necessarily determined by where it comes from, but from appropriate investment and diligence of the municipal water utility.
The Utility Branding Network's CCR Checklist, called "Using the Consumer Confidence Report to Build a Positive Brand," provides overall advice and a checklist for establishing the water utility as the "source of quality." Applying these principles will help increase the CCR's effectiveness in building public trust in the utility, as well as confidence in the water.
Download the CCR Checklist here.
Branding Moments
Starbucks = $50, Water and the Environment = ? (January 2010)
As we welcome the New Year, let's review some of the fundamentals of branding. Often, utility managers ask why branding is important considering that utilities are monopolies and typically have no direct competitors. However, to properly serve their communities, utility managers and policy makers need to propose and approve rates that fully fund a sustainable water environment. Sustainable means always having enough water for healthy communities and a healthy environment. Often, the discussion about rates includes angst-ridden and politically-charged discourse over raising rates by $3, $5, or $10 per month.
Let's put this into perspective. Over the last 10 years, Starbucks coffee houses have captured $50 to $75 per month of expendable income from many consumers. Other examples include cell phones, the Internet, computers, dining out, and ever more sophisticated home entertainment systems. Combined together, these "necessities" easily add up to $300 to $400 or more per month. Why make this point? It is not to suggest that people should give up their Internet service to pay higher water and wastewater bills. However, it does remind us that water professionals should not be apologetic about advocating for appropriate investment in water and the environment. It also highlights the fact that strong brands capture people's attention and money, and arguably change our culture. Implementing branding principles gives utility managers the tools to change the culture of water investment decisions.
Do Starbucks, the Internet, and other strong brands change the world? Absolutely! We can begin changing the water investment world by implementing utility branding in 2010.
Case Studies
"SoilPro" Soil Amendment Products (February 2009)
The Utility Branding Network periodically provides examples of branding case studies. The newest case study features the “SoilPro” brand of soil amendment products that is manufactured and marketed by the Inland Empire Composting Authority (Rancho Cucamonga, CA). A critical factor was that this effort focused on the brand and on marketing the finished product, rather than on disposing of a waste. For more information, click here.