Brand Recognition through Saturation
Changing the name of an established organization isn’t for the faint of heart. From the outside looking in, it might seem like an easy journey but it isn’t. Finding the right name that embodies the broad expectations of a changing and collaborative organization is an enormous challenge and once you (think you) have the name, the next challenge is developing a brand that captures the essence of why the organization exists. When we unified with the former Alberta Common Ground Alliance and rolled the Where’s the LINE campaign into our utility protection services, we became Utility Safety Partners. The name and the brand were spot-on and have been praised among our industry peers.
But the challenge of overcoming the recognition that "Alberta One-Call” had gained over four decades remains – and without the budget of a multi-million / billion dollar enterprise, Utility Safety Partners is destined to slowly increase brand recognition through radio, social media and trade magazine awareness.
Unless…
For those familiar with the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) in the U.S., it owns the popular and recognizable "811” brand and yet, with an advertising budget that is virtually zero, it managed to quickly proliferate the 811 brand into every corner of the United States. 811 appears on boats, NASCAR, Race Horses and Jockeys, Major League Baseball games, on large oil tanks and every trinket, keepsake and memento imaginable. The brand’s reach was so extensive that it reaches into Canada creating some confusion with Canada’s own 811 service for Telehealth.
How did the CGA do it? Actually, it was quite simple. The CGA created the brand and then made it available and its members took it upon themselves to promote it. Everyone began singing from the same song sheet and their voices were heard loud and clear.
ClickBeforeYouDig / Where’s the LINE can - and should - achieve the same result. Unfortunately, the majority of brand promotions remains with Utility Safety Partners – a not-for-profit organization that predominantly manages the locate request and notification process and the costs associated with doing so; labour / benefits and burden, facility costs, professional fees, system costs, communications, office expenses, administration, etc. Advertising is a considerable and necessary expense designed to promote and maintain awareness of USP’s locate request service. On its own, though, it has limitations and was never contemplated to achieve the broad awareness goals required of a rebrand.
Adopting the CGA’s promotional formula would quickly and effectively blanket the province of Alberta with brand and call-to-action awareness. USP provides access to its Trademarked brand, calls-to-action and artwork to anyone who wishes to promote it and with over 850 members promoting across the province, achieving the desired level of recognition wouldn’t take long. Unfortunately, though, only a handful of members actively support and promote USP’s ClickBeforeYouDig / Where’s the LINE calls-to-action and that needs to change.
Mike Sullivan - President - Utility Safety Partners