When national-level progress bogs down, individual states can still move ahead with bold climate solutions. That’s what happened in Michigan in 2023 when Potential Energy helped state leaders marry their ambitious clean energy goals with robust public support for action.
Our work
Shifting the Narrative.
Clean energy is the climate solution we’re all searching for, but it’s not the standard yet. We dug into the data and found that many people – including a group we identified as “movable moderates” – thought the energy transition would be a cumbersome and painful process. The topic was becoming polarized by the existing narrative: “It’s too expensive, too hard, and too little too late,” even as people also said they believed in the potential of clean energy. This dichotomy created an opening for the right messaging to shift the discussion. The findings reflect messaging research grounded in what moved “movable moderates” toward action.
Insights:
One striking fact stood out to us when we looked at the results of our analysis: people on all sides of the issue largely didn’t realize that the clean energy transition was already underway in their own communities. This led to the insight that we could reframe the energy transition from a scary, unknown future into an exciting, painless present. This climate messaging approach made the transition feel more immediate and real in people’s daily lives.
We also identified state pride as a source of motivation. By highlighting how their home state was already making progress and becoming a leader, we could change the cultural norms around energy and shift the narrative towards progress. This messaging research helped reveal how awareness gaps were shaping public attitudes.
Program:
To connect with Michiganders and make a seemingly overwhelming problem feel solvable, Potential Energy developed and ran a campaign that reached 3.5 million people, using humor and local touchstones to highlight the state’s clean energy accomplishments.
Partnership with local voices.
We worked with the Energy Foundation coalition and Michigan League of Conservation Voters to build out a narrative campaign that was supportive of the groups’ call for bold action on climate and clean energy.
Engaging creative that reframes the issue.
To connect with Michiganders and make an otherwise overwhelming problem feel understandable and solvable, Potential Energy developed and ran ads that adopted a community-based perspective and framed the issue in terms of state-level successes.
Support for ambitious leadership.
We were able to show that the public would get behind clean energy if it was presented the right way, giving state leaders the confidence to move forward with a bold agenda.
These principles are outlined in our climate communication guide.
Results:
Our campaign worked and Michigan became a national leader showcasing what was possible, including setting a statewide clean energy standard. When we started, 31% of Michiganders in our target audience strongly supported clean energy; when we wrapped 3 months later, this number had grown to 46% — successfully creating 320,000 new supporters.
Beyond the immediate local impact, Michigan’s experience demonstrates that by educating the public on the benefits of clean energy, even a broadly moderate state can make meaningful climate progress. This success signals to leaders across the country that ambitious action is both possible and popular when you have an informed and engaged community.
Creative.
Michiganders know a map can be a hand, but what they might not know is that clean energy is already powering homes, buildings and communities in their home state.
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We can solve this together.
Potential Energy collaborates with partners across the climate sector and marketing industry to reach the most people with the most effective climate narratives.
