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! Consumer Confidence Report Case Study - Rifle, Colorado (August 2010)
With the consumer confidence report (CCR) season behind us, now is a good time to review a CCR case study that followed many of the practices featured in the Utility Branding Network’s CCR checklist to increase public support and enhance your utility’s brand.
Click here for the CCR from the City of Rifle Utility Department in Rifle, Colorado.
Highlights include:
• Key water quality branding points (or what people can count on from the utility) were provided at the beginning of the CCR.
• A summary was included at the beginning that highlights findings and important issues covered in the CCR.
• The "Transforming Raw Water into Drinking Water" section clearly describes the treatment and testing used to make raw water fit for drinking. This section establishes the utility, its ethics, and its investment as the "source of quality" for the community’s drinking water supply.
• Plans for investing in a new treatment facility and enhanced water quality are outlined in the CCR.
• Meaningful headlines are employed to highlight required information, which reduces confusion and water quality concerns.
• In addition to an EPA contact, a local utility contact is provided for supporting community members who have concerns about lead in their water.
The net result is that the CCR is clear, not overly technical, puts required information in a meaningful context, builds the brand of the Rifle Utility Department, and creates water quality confidence.
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.
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.