How a Utilities Company Rebuilt Trust Through Inclusive Marketing

The Challenge

A major utilities provider found itself facing a crisis of public trust. Following a series of natural disasters and a period of rate increases, customer sentiment had soured. Communities – particularly those most vulnerable – voiced concerns about reliability, safety, and the lack of clear communication from the brand. Public discourse reflected frustration, suspicion, and emotional fatigue. To remain a relevant and trusted partner, the brand needed to do more than inform; it needed to reconnect. 

The ask was clear: rebuild credibility, and do so in a way that empowered customers and reflected their true realities.

The Approach

The company engaged Collage to develop a new, insight-driven strategy to reengage communities and restore trust. Leveraging Collage’s Inclusive Marketing 3.0 principles and the Brand Cultural Fluency Quotient (B-CFQ) framework, we helped the brand identify the gap between current consumer expectations and their existing messaging.

We began with a Real-Life Resonance diagnostic to evaluate how well existing messaging aligned with the everyday experiences of their diverse customer base. The results revealed that customers – particularly women, lower-income households, and multicultural communities – responded more positively when they saw tangible action, empathetic storytelling, and acknowledgment of challenges they had endured.

We guided the brand toward an evolved communications strategy rooted in three core Inclusive Marketing 3.0 strategies: