Branding Update
June 5, 2014
"Quote" the Standard
When
writing news releases utility communication professionals usually need to
develop quotes for senior managers or policy makers. Quoting a standard is very
effective because it provides the context and articulates the value associated
with the events or investments covered in the press release. For example, "We
are investing in recycled water to ensure that we have a highly reliable and
climate-change resilient water supply." In this case, highly reliable and
climate-change resilient are the water-supply standards. Or, "We have added
aesthetic features to this pumping station to meet our standard of minimizing
the impact of our facilities on the environment and our neighborhoods." This
quote illustrates that it's more powerful to explicitly refer to a motivation as
a standard. In fact, being a standards-driven organization is in
itself a positive branding idea.
This
"quote the standard" advice reminds us that what is meaningful to our audience
is motivations and standards, because the utility's value is embedded in its
standards. This is true with any product or service. How many standards do you
think are in play when you enter a Starbucks store or any fast-food franchise?
Maybe more importantly, if the motivation or standard is not made crystal clear
in a communication piece, it will be less interesting and will leave the door
open for the reader to misinterpret motivations. People misinterpreting
motivations is common and is often the root cause of conflict. Communication
professionals benefit from having a comprehensive list of the utility's
standards. This helps them create content that is brief, meaningful, focused on
value, and builds the utility's brand. And by the way, this list of standards
should also be the basis for strategic planning and proposing capital
investments.
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