Mesa Water wins award for public relations campaign

Mesa Consolidated Water District received recognition this month for its 2011 public relations campaign.

The Orange County chapter of the Public Relations Society of America awarded Mesa Water with the PROTOS award.

The “Hello: My Name is Mesa Water” campaign aimed to create awareness, change customers’ longstanding water-use behaviors, promote the benefits of an independent water district, and position the district as a respected member of water utilities.

FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version incorrectly reported it as the “Hello: My Name is Mesa” campaign.

Mesa Water found in a 2008 survey that few customers knew who provided the water coming out of their taps. So in 2010, in conjunction with the district’s 50th anniversary, a communications department was created to solve that problem, with Stacy Taylor hired as communications manager.

The campaign was formed “in light of all that’s happened recently, scandals taking place,” Taylor said. “The days of government flying low under the radar are over, essentially. We, as a district, are doing a great job, and I really think if you’re doing a good job, especially in government, you owe it to your public to know the value that they’re getting for the dollars for the service.”

Part of that, she said, is connecting with the community to ensure they know where to go if there’s an issue with their water, and where to go if they have any questions or concerns.

— Brittany Woolsey

Twitter: @TheDailyPilot