Social Positioning Analysis #5: Telus Corporation

David MacNeil, Marketing Officer

Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Telus Corporation is a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides products and services in the field of telecommunications, such as internet, entertainment and television, and is one of the world’s most recognized brands. As such, it is crucial that Telus carefully navigates the social landscape in which it operates.

The following is the next in our Social Positioning Analysis series, where we will be covering how some of the world’s most well–known and successful brands focus on ESG related issues to effectively manage their image and to align with public values – this time discussing Telus Corporation.

#StandWithOwners Program

In May 2020, Telus initiated a social media campaign called the #StandWithOwners program which aimed to support Canadian small-business owners through direct revenue, marketing, and expert advice during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, Telus recognized the need to assist Canadians over the months in which the Covid-19 virus began to sweep across the country, forcing many small-businesses to shut down and leaving Canadians out of work.

Social media users were encouraged to share a post highlighting a small business of their choice, using the hashtag #StandWithOwners. Users would then be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card to the selected small business on behalf of Telus.

It took only four days for the campaign to exceed its goal – generating over 20,000 social posts, having their hashtag #StandWithOwners trending on Twitter during the first day of the launch, and donating $500,000 to small businesses across the country.

In addition to the campaign, Telus announced that it would be investing marketing funds to promote small business owners through social media, digital marketing, and the digital hub on the Telus website.

Data for Good Program

The #StandWithOwners campaign isn’t the only way that Telus has been helping during the events of the Covid-19 pandemic. On May 20, 2020, the company announced that it will be collaborating with The Natural Sciences and Research Council (NSERC) to support the government’s efforts in flattening the curve. To do so, Telus is sharing relevant data free of charge to be used by NSERC researchers who are studying Covid-19.

This collaboration allows NSERC researchers to analyze data that helps them identify trends, issues, and potential solutions by gaining access to valuable information – such as the number of positive cases in any given geographic area. This allows researchers to highlight correlations that assists government bodies and health authorities in creating policies to keep Canadians healthy, safe, and informed.

Analyzing Orenda’s Metrics

At Orenda, we were interested in analyzing how these social efforts impacted Telus’s social positioning scores.

Of the eight social categories measured by Orenda, the most noticeable and consistent change throughout the month of May can be found in the company’s character scores, which were consistently well above their overall average social positioning scores during the 30-day period. Telus’ character score maxed out at a high of 70.00 on May 18th, and only dropped below average 4 times during the month.

Red: Character

Green: Overall Social Positioning

From this, we can confidently determine that the social efforts carried out by Telus during the month of May resulted in a steadily positive trend in public perception regarding the character of the company. As a result, it can be expected that the competitors of Telus, those within similar industries, or large–scale corporations with the capability to campaign in a similar fashion, may be held to a higher standard by the public.