Defend Your Drains Public Education Strategies That Any Utility Can Use H ELEN D ULAC, CITY OF D ALLAS M AY 18, 2017
About Dallas Water Utilities Dallas Water Utilities provides water and wastewater services to ~1.3 million people in Dallas and 27 surrounding communities. Service Area: 699 square miles Water treatment plants: 3 Water treatment capacity: 900 MGD Miles of water mains: 4,937 Wastewater reclamation plants: 2 Wastewater reclamation capacity: 260 MGD Miles of wastewater main: 4,020 About Defend Your Drains (DYD) DYD is Dallas Water Utilities newest campaign that encourages people to make proper choices for waste disposal. DYD can protect our infrastructure, wastewater treatment plants and environment by connecting our customers to better disposal options. FOG recycling Medication mail back envelopes & DEA Drug Take-Back Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers The trash can, your toilet s best friend
Social Media
Facebook Facebook Paid Ads Goals/Call to Action: page likes, website clicks, view video Target the audience based on demographics, gender, location, and what s in their FB profile Appears as Sponsored Can stop low performing posts Boosted/Promoted Posts Goal: engagement and awareness Target the audience Any post is amplified See the Boost button when you log on Appears as Sponsored DYD Example During February 2016, we spent $919 on FB ads and got 2,543 clicks on the DYD website
Ideas for content Photos from events Reposts from similar pages Sharing articles and videos from science pages Cleaning tips Plumbing tips Days of importance Holidays News stories Facebook
Example Facebook Posts
Example Facebook Posts
Social Media Contest 2016 DYD Olympics
2016 DYD Olympics Facebook Contest Goals Create community engagement Develop DYD ambassadors Expand reach of social media posts Develop more Facebook followers 1 month DYD Facebook Decathlon Those who didn t participate could still get medication mail-back envelope
Videos
Contest Selfies
Medal Ceremony for the Winners Made it special & fun Two participated Used Facebook Live
Winner's Circle Back to the Locker Room We did get likes from many friends of those who participated. The collateral photos and videos were at no cost and performed very well. Two videos were submitted. One contestant posted her selfie in Spanish. Our ask was too big even for great prizes. We wish we had more participation but those who did compete did a very good job. Numerous rules.
Social Media Contest Fry Good, Do Good
To raise awareness about the need for Dallas residents to properly dispose of leftover cooking grease and oil, DYD launched the Fry Good, Do Good contest in October 2016. DYD secured a community partner, El Centro College Food and Hospitality Institute, as the host for the cooking contest event; and celebrity chef Abel Gonzalez agreed to act as a spokesperson and chef instructor. The contest began on October 1. Individuals could enter by liking the Defend Your Drains Cease / Grease Facebook page and sharing or reposting the weekly tips on how to properly dispose of FOG.
Fry Good, Do Good Promotion Press Release Online News and Event outlets October Water Bill Insert - $5,500 Paid Social Media o $932 o 25,680 unique Facebook users
El Centro Community College First time partner Included logo on water bill insert Took promotional photos and used to tease the event
Holiday Outreach
Regional Holiday Grease Roundup
Dallas Morning News and Central Market Holiday Cookie Contest
From the Dec 7, 2016 Dallas Morning News Holiday Cookie Contest Protecting the water system This year we also had an additional sponsor, the City of Dallas, represented by Helen Dulac from the Office of Environmental Quality, who came to spread the word about an important way home bakers can assist in protecting the public water system. Most experienced home cooks know better than to pour cooking fats and oils down the drain, but did you know that flour dumped in the sink wreaks havoc on pipes and the sewer system? A flour and water combination hardens in the pipes, similar to papier-mâché. Scrape unused flour and dough remnants into waste cans before washing bowls and work surfaces. The top three awards in each of five categories were Central Market gift cards of $150, $100 and $50. The artistry of the entries, judged on taste, appearance and technique all approachable for the home cook wowed our panel of judges: Karen Cassady and Michelle Rodarte of Central Market Dallas; Helen Dulac from the City of Dallas; Erin McKool, founder and owner of Start Restaurant; and Rebecca White, food blogger at apleasantlittlekitchen.com.
Transit Advertising: Inside Bus Card Transit Advertising: Outside Bus Billboard Full Color Dallas Morning News Ad
Holiday Tamale Giveaway
Partnerships
We re All In It Together Other Utilities and the Council of Governments Wastewater and Treatment Education Roundtable (WATER) DYD North Texas Cooperative buy for promotional products Graphic design Food Safety/Health Inspections Food Handlers training Drug Overdose Prevention DEA drug take back
Community Presence
Locally Community and environmental programming o Radio shows o Community TV Community events o Races with branded shirts
You re the expert
Visibility
The Power of Promotion
Defend Your Drains Proactive on regional issues Focus on flushables Emerging pollutants of concern Infrastructure awareness POTW protection Low Cost Messaging Social media Community presence Promotional products Partnerships Special advertising Unique contests
DefendYourDrains.com Facebook.com/DefendYourDrains @DefendYourDrain