Beyond The Brochure: Where Is The Next Frontier In Water Demand Management?
Demand Management: An Overview of the Next Generation
“Water demand management has come a long way. Community-based social marketing practices are taking hold; volumetric pricing is becoming the norm; and Canadians are more conscious of their water use behaviour. But what does the future hold?,” asks Kirk Stinchcombe.
Illustrated by cutting edge examples from Australia, the U.S. and Canada, Kirk’s barnstorming presentations about water demand management mine the fields of consumer marketing, advertising, information technology, engineering and planning for emerging best practices and innovation.
Transforming Water Conservation Efforts
“Integrated Marketing Communications (ICM) can mean conservation campaigns 
that are coordinated and systematically planned in previously unimagined ways,” states Kirk Stinchcombe, in elaborating on emerging directions.
“Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) methods and software can allow us to form stronger bonds with customers, with correspondingly greater impact on their consumption and satisfaction.”
“Geodemographic profiling and other market research tools allows for low cost niche marketing to very specific target groups such as high volume water users.”
“Mass customization technology lets us provide customers with specific information and tools to address their individual water use at a cost close to what one would expect from ordinary mass produced alternatives.”
“Social networking websites such as Facebook and other communication tools can enable customers to select how, what and when they want us to communicate with them.”
“These and other new tools and trends have the potential to transform water conservation efforts in this country. The results can be more popular programs, greater certainty on outcomes, better service to customers, and, of course, more water saved.”
A Look Beyond
“We can be more sophisticated in how we design and deliver water conservation programs in Canada,” concludes Kirk Stinchcombe.
“By borrowing from innovation happening in consumer marketing and advertising and successful projects from other countries, we can transform how we approach demand management. We can achieve better results.”
TO LEARN MORE:
To gain an appreciation for the nature of the messaging by Kirk Stinchcombe, click on Demand Management: The Next Generation to download a copy of his presentation in 2011 to the Grand River Watershed Forum in Ontario.
