Spring brings change. Your company’s commitment to safety should not – no matter what season it is. Now is the time for utility marketers to strengthen communication campaigns and strategies. Helping customers to connect the dots and understand the dangers associated with spring utility hazards like digging, overhead wire risks, and gas leaks are not just smart, they’re not negotiable.
Spring Safety Starts with Awareness
April showers bring May flowers and without preparation, they can also create conditions that lead to power outages. Utility marketers can help customers prepare by shining a light on the most common spring hazards: severe winds, thunderstorms, flooding and hidden ground conditions. Here is what to do if you encounter a downed power line:
- Check for downed outdoor power lines.
- Clear debris around gas meters.
- Inspect water pipes for leaks.
Interactive tools like checklists, seasonal safety guides and how-to videos can walk customers through each task.
Don’t let soft ground hide hard dangers.
The soft soil of spring hides the threat of unmarked utility lines—and with them, the risk of injury, property damage or even fatalities. Now is the time to educate customers on safe digging practices and reintroduce your commitment to public safety. Create downloadable resources like checklists and printable PDFs that outline:
- Safe digging protocols, locating buried lines and appropriate outreach on breaking ground.
- Implement memorable safety messaging to customers with unique catchphrases:
- “From Pipeline to Porch – Safety is Our Promise.”
- “We Bring the Heat – Safely.”
- “Protecting Your Home Starts with Awareness.”
- Lean into messaging that resonates with emotion in terms of keeping families safe:
- “Safe Communities Start with Safe Utilities.”
- “Delivering Energy, Safeguarding Lives.”
- “It’s Not Just Gas. It’s You and Your Family’s Safety.”
The idea is simple—engage people where they are. That’s the whole strategy. It’s a consistent thread in many of Mower’s most effective safety campaigns. Utility marketers should encourage local engagement:
- Tap into spring events and local festivals.
- Partner with neighborhood organizations.
- Create shareable content and hashtags for social media:
- #KnowTheSmell #KnowTheDrill
- #SafetyPipedIn
- #SniffStopSave
Everyone must work together to keep communities safe. Companies, regulators, and the community can collaborate to ensure safety standards are met. Utility marketers play a crucial role in educating the public about potential dangers, but safety also needs to be a shared responsibility.
Case Studies:
Communicating Crucial Public Safety Messaging: “Be the 1”
Case Study One: Mower launched National Grid’s “Be the 1” Campaign to amplify awareness around reporting potential gas leaks and reminding customers to call 811 before excavating. Our goal was to urge everyone to take charge and call 911 if they think they smell gas or by dialing National Grid’s 811 hotline before digging. We used humans as the additional “1” for 911 and 811 visuals.
Turn safety into an unforgettable story including character driven campaigning:
Case Study Two: Mower’s “Max Safety” campaign for FirstEnergy uses a character named “Max” to personify safety values and behavioral best practices. It shifts the message from rule-following to culture-building — reinforcing that safety is a mindset, not just a mandate.
This collaborative approach can extend beyond just the companies and their marketing campaigns. Local government agencies, schools, and community organizations can all play a role in amplifying safety messaging. Public awareness campaigns that engage multiple stakeholders will create a stronger safety culture, ensuring that everyone including homeowners, utility companies, and professional contractors have the tools and knowledge to keep themselves safe.
Drone Safety Zone: Gamified edutainment
Case Study Three: With the rise of recreational drones, Mower developed an outreach campaign to highlight the dangers of flying near power lines and utility infrastructure. Targeting drone operators, hobbyists and the public, the educational and entertaining campaign included messages designed to reduce the risk of drone crashes into power lines, including:
- Educational content on electrocution and outage risks.
- Clear visuals to explain no-fly zones.
- A Drone Safety Zone game that attracted 55,000 users completing the drone safety education course.
The campaign significantly raised awareness and drove home the message of flying safely, focusing on clear, concise messages:
- Safety first
- Risk of Electrocution and Power Outages
- Drone Operator Responsibility
Brevity is best; clear, concise messaging resonates with customers and communities. When you use easily digestible language, you’re ensuring safety messaging is simple and action oriented. When utility marketers steer clear of technical jargon, messaging lands better with your stakeholders and audiences.
Multi-channel approaches can work well too, including email newsletters to customers as the weather changes and updates on utility service maintenance or new safety procedures for the season. A critical safety consideration when digging is gas safety. The underground utility lines that transport natural gas is often hidden beneath the surface, making it too easy to be overlooked. Striking a gas line while digging can have devastating consequences, including explosions, fires, harmful leaks, even injuries and death. Overhead power lines also present a significant risk, especially for those who work outdoors during the spring and summer months. Communicating important messaging can be achieved with the help of social media campaigns offer safety tips and catchy hashtags customers will be sure to remember.
Seasons change but when safety is second nature, it’s always top of mind. Speak simply. Visualize clearly.
Utility safety messaging should be clear, concise and jargon-free. When customers understand what’s at stake—and what to do—they act. Keep your language direct and to the point, visual when possible (infographics, animations) and repetitive across channels. Multichannel strategies—like newsletters, maintenance alerts and expert interviews — help reinforce seasonal safety reminders.
Creating a culture of safety means aligning utility companies, marketers, local governments, schools and community leaders. Everyone has a role to play—and marketers are the ones connecting the dots.