Today, utilities are faced with the growing challenge of replacing aging infrastructure,
maintaining compliance with new state and federal regulations, and keeping pace with system
growth. The impact of these challenges requires substantial investment in capital, oftentimes
resulting in significant customer water and sewer rate increases. Because of public and political
pressure to keep rates low, utilities have begun analyzing more effective means of
communicating information to their customers. Traditional communication techniques such as
bill inserts, separate customer mailings, and TV and radio ads have had mixed results in
educating customers concerning rate increases and the need for capital expenditures.
Spartanburg Water System and Sanitary Sewer District (SWS/SSSD) is located in the
northwestern section of South Carolina along the I-85 corridor between Charlotte, North
Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia. Experiencing significant growth along with pressures of new
state and federal clean water initiatives, SWS/SSSD embarked on a $150 million capital
improvement campaign aimed at meeting these challenges. Because little if any investment in
capital improvements had occurred in previous years, SWS/SSSD water and sewer rates were
some of the lowest in South Carolina. To adequately fund the $150 million capital campaign,
significant water and sewer rate increases would be required over the next five to eight years.
To further compound this challenging situation, Spartanburg County is an extremely diverse
community with regard to race, education, and other socio-economic factors as identified in the
U.S. Census Bureau data of 2000. The challenge of gaining public support for this endeavor
would require an innovative method of delivering information to the community as to the need
for and purpose of this capital campaign.
In a society where most people can relate to a message conveyed through a visual medium it is
reported that nearly 90 percent of what we react to is visually and aurally stimulated and that
retention of information can be increased by as much as 40 to 70 percent through the use of these
media. It is no surprise, then, that messages communicated through image and sound reach a far
wider audience than any other method and with far greater impact. Multimedia techniques
provide an ideal vehicle for delivering a message to a visual world. Ultimately, the goal of any
media campaign is to get your message across to your audience. Using a multimedia approach
addresses the challenge of a diverse audience and maximizes the number of people reached.
Toward that end, SWS/SSSD decided to utilize multimedia tools to tell its story; including
enhancing its image and justifying needed construction projects and rate increases.
The end result of the use of multimedia tools was successful, and as SWS/SSSD continues its
aggressive capital improvement campaign, more emphasis on public education and involvement
will be required. The use of a multimedia platform will help SWS/SSSD accurately and
effectively communicate both the need for capital improvements and the impact on its diverse
customer base as a result of rate increases.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 360 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 8 |
| Published : | 06/01/2006 |
