Throughout our testing, People Power gravitated towards nature, whether it was in the ad copy or imagery. Nature themes worked best when they were organic though–virtual worlds didn’t test as well. EVs and ice caps also worked, and bees as long as the tone was positive.

In the example from our testing shown above, TikTok creator Mndiaye_97 has a fun take on bees in this successful co-production.

A question for future tests: what specific types of natural themes work best?

This zone engaged the most with messages explicitly about climate but the most successful were those that also included a plan of action.

Throughout our testing the concepts that worked best at transporting this audience—like the TikTok example above where creator Sciammani takes the audience on a culinary adventure full of climate-friendly ingredients—included direct, accessible solutions to the problem.

Another thing that proved effective was showing the data behind any claims being made.

For If You Say So, “climate-ness” proved critical in our testing. The most impactful media mentioned climate by name and connected the dots between the things they already care about, like EVs and fashion.

You see this “connecting of the dots” approach in the TikTok example above, where the creator Depthsofwikipedia talks about the climate benefit of traveling by trains.

Another story element that proved effective: a direct call to action.

This zone, like this whole “we” side of the audience map, responded favorably to all of the concepts centering the natural world.

The big difference for this particular zone is that even concepts that featured virtual depictions of nature were effective. The example Facebook ad shown above worked with this audience both for engagement and transportation.

For this zone, the most effective concepts broke the “fourth wall” to make the audience feel personally invested in the outcomes. One successful example of this approach from our testing is the Facebook ad concept shown above.

One thing that didn’t test well was telling this audience what to do, reinforcing the idea that they need to feel agency in crafting the right solution. Tests that included virtual, futuristic settings that helped this tech-forward audience imagine ways in which they might contribute to a better future also worked well.

Tough Cookies were moved most by concepts focused on the wonders of creation. In particular, they were transported by stories of animals, particularly threatened ones.

Creator Markvins successfully tapped into that by featuring the endangered Numbat in the YouTube short above.

Third person narration also tested well; perhaps they like to observe but don’t necessarily want to imagine themselves as part of the problem?

This is another zone where any of the concepts that felt “preachy” caused backlash. That’s not to say they aren’t reachable. The concepts that tested best presented climate issues in a neutral and instructive way.

For example, the Facebook ad concept shown above both engaged and transported this audience—even with a message about something as iconic of climate advocacy as ice caps—when it was delivered with an informative tone.

Here, first-person approaches that included the audience directly in the story were the most successful. YouTuber Mr. Beast is an exemplar of this approach; the #teamseas video above worked particularly well transporting this audience.

On the other hand, some concepts we tested had a negative effect on Don't Tread on Me's. While they may embrace off-the-grid living, all of the ads tested that had anything to do with buying EVs caused backlash.