811 and Call Before You Dig National Awareness Study August 21, 2013

NATIONAL STUDY – OBJECTIVES AND APPROACH Longitudinal study to gauge changes in awareness and usage levels of 811. A survey was conducted with 2,000 homeowners age 18 or older. The survey was conducted in August The survey specifically gauged: – Awareness of the call-before-you-dig service in general – Unaided and aided awareness of the phone number 811 – 811 marketing/advertising awareness – Prior use of 811 and future intent to call 811 – Gender, age and rural/urban area

DEMOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION

THE FOUR CENSUS REGIONS

REPRESENTATION OF GEOGRAPHIC AREAS

Overall Responses

AWARENESS LEVELS The majority of respondents are aware of the service while 41% recall the 811 phone number. The chart shows percentage of the entire survey sample.

LIKELIHOOD TO CALL 811 IN THE FUTURE

Differences by Census Region

AWARENESS LEVELS WITHIN REGIONS

HAVE CALLED 811 BEFORE

FUTURE INTENT TO CALL 811

2012 vs vs. 2008

AWARENESS LEVELS Overall awareness of CBYD has increased 29% since 2008 including a 21% increase from Advertising awareness increased 8% from 2010 (was not measured in 2008). Unaided recall of the 811 number has increased 2% since 2008 but increased 6% from Aided recall has increased 19% since 2008 including a 12% since increase from The chart shows percent of all respondents from the specific year.

HAVE CALLED 811 BEFORE The chart shows percentage of all survey respondents as well as percentage of only respondents who recall the 811 number (aided or unaided). There is no large difference between percentage of the survey population who had used the 811 service before in 2008 and in In 2012, a smaller percentage of those aware of the 811 number had used the service compared to both 2008 and This means that for a larger percent age in 2012, recall of the 811 number was not based on own past experience.

FUTURE INTENT TO CALL 811 Likelihood to call 811 before future digging projects has increased substantially compared to the past two times this survey was conducted, with 82% either extremely or somewhat likely to call in the future (was around 50 percent the previous two surveys).

State Studies

STATE STUDIES – OBJECTIVES AND APPROACH The same survey was conducted with 400 homeowners age 18 or older in six states and conducted in August The survey used the same questions and demographic requirements and specifically gauged: – Awareness of the call-before-you-dig service in general – Unaided and aided awareness of the phone number 811 – 811 marketing/advertising awareness – Prior use of 811 and future intent to call 811 – Gender, age and rural/urban area

STATE STUDIES – OBJECTIVES AND APPROACH CGA sought to measure the role of stakeholder engagement in the 811 campaign on the national numbers. The six states selected partnered with CGA to acquire this data to serve as a benchmark for each state moving forward. CGA plans to work with states in the future on similar research efforts.

811 ADVERTISING AWARENESS

UNAIDED 811 AWARENESS

COMBINED 811 AWARENESS

BETTER THAN NATIONAL FIGURES

A Case Study of Shared Responsibility

PSC, Atmos and Kentucky 811 partnered on meetings about data submission to DIRT Key to success – invitation s came from the PSC, leading to 100% readership Meetings allowed all parties to discuss benefits of increased DIRT data

KENTUCKY LAW CHANGE IN THE 811 ERA Law established in Opened in 2000 but became weaker. Strengthened in 2008 and 2012: Legislators saw Kentucky 811 as part of a larger national program. Association partnerships across the state. Partnerships with bordering states.

Results

CALL VOLUME UP IN A DOWN ECONOMY Between 2008 and %

MEMBERSHIP UP, DESPITE NO MEMBERSHIP MANDATE IN KY LAW Between 2008 and %

WHAT MATTERS MOST – NO-CALL DAMAGES DOWN PRE-KENTUCKY 811 IDENTITY (2006) 5 YEARS OF KENTUCKY 811 (2012) 50% of all damages were “no calls” 32% of all damages are “no calls”

Conclusions

CONCLUSION #1 – NATIONAL AWARENESS NUMBERS ARE UP… The data in report is good news and shows the value of years of hard work, especially the last five years since 811 launched. More people are seeing 811 marketing efforts and they are becoming increasingly effective. People don’t have to have past experience with 811 to know what it is and why it matters, which is important because this year’s digger isn’t last year’s digger.

…BUT NOT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT out of 3 homeowners aren’t aware that a phone call is needed before digging can begin. 9 out of 10 homeowners don’t have 811 ingrained in their memory. 3 out of 5 homeowners from the study DIDN’T know about 811. Young adults, the future diggers, were more in doubt about whether they would ever call before digging, despite retaining the 811 message well.

CONCLUSION #2 – MORE 811 PROMOTION CAN GET US THERE 811 simplifies the message for the novice, making it easier to understand, retain and act on. Kentucky’s case study is proof of that. If you feel like you’re reaching your cap on new callers, increase the amount you promote 811.

CONCLUSION #3 – 811 IS A MESSAGE THAT PEOPLE RESPECT Likelihood to call 811 in the future is not dependent upon having called 811 in the past. Likelihood to call figures went up considerably in 2012, which can only be achieved through marketing and education efforts that achieve credibility. Use this data to secure management buy-in to dedicate more resources to 811 promotion

CONCLUSION #4 – GET MORE VALUE BY TARGETING EFFORTS Adults 25-54, especially men 25-54, should be your target when promoting the 811 campaign, especially to potential first-time callers. Paid media is especially expensive, so when purchasing it, purchase it through outlets that best target these groups. Also, consider this event when purchasing sports sponsorships and when selecting events to attend.

CONCLUSION #5 – IT’S ALL ABOUT SHARED RESPONSIBILITY Kentucky’s case study is a reminder that no one stakeholder can do everything alone. With budgets tight and media costs expensive, partnership is the key way to spread the word and produce action.

Questions