As the third-largest municipally-owned electrical utility in Ontario, Hydro Ottawa maintains the electricity distribution systems in the city, and serves over 335,000 residential and commercial customers across a service area of 1,100 square kilometres.
Hydro Ottawa sought to drive customer engagement and support for its 2026–2030 investment plan. Partnering with Accurate Creative, the company launched a strategic multi-channel campaign to encourage residential, small business, and commercial customers to provide input through a survey, helping shape the city’s energy future.
To foster participation, Hydro Ottawa emphasized customer involvement in decision-making while addressing key concerns about affordability, grid modernization, and climate goals. A $500 bill credit incentive was introduced to boost survey completions.
Accurate Creative leveraged audience personas and historical customer research to craft a targeted content strategy. Insights revealed varying levels of confidence in Hydro Ottawa, awareness gaps in climate policies, and differing priorities for clean energy and technological advancements. These findings informed messaging tailored to each customer segment.
The campaign needed to balance a compelling case for necessary infrastructure investments with the reality of rising living costs. Messaging had to resonate with customers facing financial pressures while highlighting the long-term benefits of a modernized, sustainable grid.
The campaign was executed over two months using paid social media (Instagram, Facebook, Google Cross Network), traditional ad placements, organic social content, direct email, and bill inserts. A dedicated landing page provided an overview of investment needs, explainer videos, and direct access to the survey.
Hydro Ottawa’s customer engagement campaign effectively strengthened public involvement in energy planning, leveraging data-driven insights and multi-platform outreach. The increased participation underscores the power of strategic messaging and targeted digital engagement in fostering customer buy-in for critical infrastructure investments.
Compared to Hydro Ottawa’s last similar campaign in 2019, the 2024 initiative achieved remarkable success.
Accurate exceeded our expectations at every stage, delivering the full scope of work with valuable additions that went above and beyond.
Coaching Association of Canada
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