“Robust and compelling communication is key to help nudge significant behaviour changes in people”
Effective communication in the water sector has never been more crucial. With increasing public scrutiny and a need for greater transparency, companies must find new ways to engage customers and stakeholders. In this interview, we speak with Tom Sommerfelt, PR & Communications Manager at SES Water (UK), about the evolving role of communication in the industry.
How do you think communication in the water sector has evolved in recent years?
Given the landscape in which the water sector is operating at the moment and the widespread (and understandable) negative sentiment felt towards water companies, the communications coming from each company have needed to be a lot more focused and to the point to cut through the surrounding noise. While it has often been a sector known for using baffling operational acronyms, it has never been as important to put these to one side and instead communicate clearly and concisely for customers and stakeholders to understand.
Where trust in water companies has been eroded, communication has also shifted to a much more factual, evidence-based stance
Communicators in the sector have also had to become more creative in how they craft communications that stand out, particularly when it comes to topics that have long been talked about, such as water saving and water efficiency. The competing demands on people’s time continue to increase, meaning only the most impactful communications will really grab their attention and sit above the rest.
Where trust in water companies has been eroded, communication has also shifted to a much more factual, evidence-based stance, where customers are rightly demanding proof points for all company statements, claims and promotions.
Why do you think it is important to communicate about water?
It’s more important than ever to inform people about the steps they can take to save water, but done in a way which creates a sense of individual responsibility
Having worked in water industry communications for more than five years, I still feel as passionate now as I did when I joined to get the voices heard of all the committed, talented and dedicated people who work within it. For all the negative perceptions out there about water companies, of which many are undoubtedly warranted, it’s easy for people to forget about the incredible teams working for them tirelessly, day in, day out to keep people’s water flowing, often in very demanding and challenging environments. It’s these people that I feel a duty to help tell their stories and shine a positive light on an industry which is one of the most important in this country.
From an environmental point of view, it’s well-documented how crucial it is for everyone to be more aware of their water consumption. The looming shadow of climate change is not going anywhere and therefore neither is the need for a significant reduction in the amount of water we each use daily.
With this in mind, it’s more important than ever to inform people about the steps they can take to save water but done in a way which creates a sense of individual responsibility within each person. In recent years there has been a widespread onus on each of us to reduce our carbon footprint and emissions, but not necessarily enough importance placed on reducing our water footprint. Therefore, the need for robust and compelling communications to help nudge significant behaviour changes in people is vitally important.
What are the most challenging aspects of communicating water-related news?
Given the negative press around the water industry right now, this creates a challenging environment in which to communicate positive news and secure fair and balanced viewpoints in any coverage. New and creative approaches need to be adopted regularly in order to stand out to customers reading the news, and any messaging always needs to be backed up with clear evidence and accurate data to win back trust.
The other challenge is weighing up which news to communicate and at what time. There are often multiple requests internally for different projects to be promoted externally, however not all will be of relevance or interest to customers. So good internal stakeholder management is key to digging out the news items from the business that are most likely to have the biggest impact.