These Visceral Ads Show How Pollution Hurts Kids—Without Mentioning Climate Change - Adweek

These Visceral Ads Show How Pollution Hurts Kids

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In a new pair of ads from nonprofit Potential Energy Coalition, kids struggle to breathe as pollution fills the air.

The marketing firm, which aims to create public demand for action on climate change, released the ads this week in a handful of states where it has identified a unique overlap: a high concentration of mothers with moderate political views, and frequent exposure to climate-change-related extreme weather events.

“Finding a way to break through the clutter on climate, that’s not polarized, is really the goal,” Eric Asche, president of Potential Energy, said. “The challenge for us is to develop [climate-related content] that really is focused on the humanity.”

When wildfire smoke turned the skies orange in New York last year and pollution levels spiked, kids with asthma were rushed to the emergency room.

Smoky days resulting from wildfires—which impacted over one-third of Americans last year and will become more frequent as climate change accelerates—increase asthma-related ER visits by up to 100%, a 2022 study showed.

But while the spots will undoubtedly capture attention, some experts question whether the messaging will result in the intended action.

Polarization complicates climate messaging

While a majority of Americans (61%) feel that climate change is affecting their local community, that perception is more tied to political affiliation than local conditions, according to survey data from Pew Research Center.

That’s one of many statistics highlighting Americans’ uniquely political perception of climate change.

In other developed nations, the climate crisis is, for the most part, a fact of life. Political opinions differ largely in how to address the crisis, not whether or not it is happening.

With that in mind, Asche—who previously led marketing at the anti-smoking Truth Initiative—argues that human-centric messaging is the only way forward.

The new ads address pollution without using the words “climate change,” aiming to connect with mothers on an emotional level before using language that might be connected to any preconceived political affiliations.

“Moms are experiencing this. They’re seeing their kids struggle with breathing. They’re seeing this increase in the acute symptoms of asthma,” Asche said. “What we’re trying to do is connect it back to this reality. This thing that you’re experiencing is real. By the way, it’s getting worse because of climate change.”

Messaging that inspires action

These ads, created by Potential Energy’s in-house creative team, have an emotionality that will likely be attention-grabbing. But when it comes to inspiring action, which is at the heart of the group’s mission, the spots could end up getting in their own way.

“It’s called prevention versus promotion focus,” said Christie Nordhielm, marketing professor at Georgetown University.

While prevention-focused ads are effective at convincing people to stop or avoid doing something, promotion-focused ads ( like this one) are most effective at inspiring people to take action—even if that action is as small as logging onto a website.

“Prevention-focused ads, where the consequences are highlighted—it tends to freeze people and it tends to reduce action,” Nordhielm explained. “If you want them to do something, it needs to be upbeat and positive and give people a feeling of control.”

Still, Asche said Potential Energy tested hundreds of ads to arrive at the final spots, which began running this week in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia. The $2 million ad buy includes placements on YouTube, Hulu, TikTok, Instagram, out-of-home and several local TV and radio stations.

As the year progresses—and climate-related disasters inevitably hit regions of the U.S.—the group aims to evolve the campaign by immediately responding with relevant messaging in local markets, connecting community-level impacts to the larger crisis and need for action, Asche said.