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City unveils draft plan to celebrate 100 years of Bend water and boost public outreach
Summary
Communications staff laid out a proposed campaign to mark 100 years of municipal water service in Bend with branding, audience-targeted engagement tracks (Explore, Protect, Learn), videos, events, yard signs and incentives to increase participation in existing programs.
Anne, a communications staffer for the city, presented a conceptual outreach and branding plan to celebrate the utility’s centennial and use the milestone to amplify existing programs rather than create new ones.
The concept centers on a simple brand and four core messages staff tested with the advisory group: water quality, the value of service (rates and what customers get), the system’s uniqueness/resilience (dual-source surface and groundwater supply), and stewardship (practical actions residents can take). Anne said the campaign language is still flexible — staff asked whether ‘‘100 years of Bend water’’ or ‘‘100 years of city water’’ best communicates the milestone without implying water itself began a century ago.
The plan divides outreach into three engagement tracks to appeal to different audiences: Explore (field tours and stormwater walks to connect people with watersheds and infrastructure), Protect (home- and neighborhood-level actions, rebates and enrollment in the Water Smart platform) and Learn (history pieces, virtual system tours and videos that profile long‑tenured staff). Staff proposed a mix of professional short films and user-generated social clips (30‑second selfies) to populate the campaign and suggested in-person events tied to Public Works Week, Earth Day and local concerts.
Anne and members discussed specific tactics: yard signs and stickers with simple messages, blind taste tests or water-sampling activations at events to showcase local water quality, partnerships with restaurants and schools, and incentives (prize drawings) to encourage participation and referrals. One advisory member suggested the utility aim to increase Water Smart enrollment (noted at ~30% in discussion) and said doubling that participation would be a useful campaign metric.
Staff said they plan to launch the campaign within about a month, will put interested members on a campaign mailing list, and invited the advisory group to provide further ideas by email. No new programs or rates were proposed at the meeting; staff emphasized this is a communications and engagement effort tied to ongoing conservation and stewardship work.
