Hydro-Québec has launched a $2.5 million multi-media campaign aimed at improving its battered customer service image in the province.
The “Welcome to Hydro-Québec” campaign comes on the heels of a promise last summer by its new president and CEO Éric Martel to improve how the power utility deals with and communicates with its customers.
Hydro has faced controversies around smart meters, rate hikes and high electricity bills in the wake of last winter’s record cold.
Created by LG2, the French-and English-language campaign uses the tag lines “Mieux faire chaque jour” and “Working better every day” and features employees answering common questions the company gets.
Four TV spots, print ads and several short videos at welcome.hydroquebec.com are running until the end of February.
Taking a leaf from McDonald’s “Our Food. Your Questions” campaign, the effort invites Quebecers to ask questions and the company promises to answer them quickly on a continual basis. In a first for Hydro, questions are posted on the website as they are submitted on social media and are also translated.
One of the recent questions asked: “Why does Hydro spend its profits on videos and advertising designed to make the pill easier to swallow for consumers?”
Hydro responded it launched its information and advertising campaign “because we want to better explain our activities to our customers. With improved, more regular communication, we hope to strengthen our ties with our customers, better understand their needs and serve them better.”
The campaign’s aim is “to open our doors and initiate a dialogue with our customers,” says Élise Proulx, Hydro-Québec’s communications director.
Last year, Hydro unveiled surveys that found between 2000 and 2015, the number of customers who said they were “very satisfied” with the monopoly’s service dropped from 40% to 25%.
Another survey conducted last year by Saine Marketing found Hydro finished dead last among eight major Quebec companies when consumers were asked which companies they admired the most.
Hydro says the ad campaign falls under its annual advertising budget and will have no impact on electricity rates.
