Dalton Utilities: 120-year-old provider of gas, electricity, water and now fiber optics services to the city of Dalton, Georgia.

With power rates consistently well below national norms and an enviable stockpile of energy resources, you'd think the venerable, 120-year-old provider of gas, electric, water and more to the city of Dalton and beyond would get high marks from its customers. But research demonstrated that neither residents nor the businesses served by Dalton Utilities (DU) were aware of how well it was performing. The findings also revealed customers had lost sight of how important the company was to the community's ability to attract new business.

DU plays an important role in so many aspects of its customers’ lives, and recent initiatives were among the most aggressive and forward-thinking of any utility company. It was a simple matter of identifying key issues for a multi-pronged marketing campaign to position the company accurately to existing and potential residential and commercial customers.

The first step in a broad-based integrated marketing campaign was to develop a new logo, the company’s most basic identity symbol. While the new design portrays DU in a contemporary light, it also reinforces DU’s long-standing commitment to stability and innovation. Subsequent TV spots targeting residential customers and print ads directed at commercial clients featuring the new company signature demonstrate DU’s vital role in the community’s overriding dual initiative: preserve its culture and tradition while advancing its fiscal well-being. CI also ensured that DU’s introduction of an advanced fiber optics network, unparalleled in scope and capability throughout Georgia, would get the recognition it deserved with a full-length documentary-style video presented to community and business leaders at a premier-like opening event. An extensive website with sections for both residential and commercial users allows customers to transact business with DU as well as stay abreast of its many initiatives, from fiber network development to water conservation.

From regulators to local business leaders to internal managers, there is a clearer understanding of what DU means to its community, including its efforts to drive community growth. Overall, DU is more widely recognized and respected for its role in economic development. The website, parts of which are already active and which is scheduled for completion by mid- 2003, will further support this positioning as a valuable resource for information for current residents and business as well as prospective businesses considering relocation.