Audience upshot

As practitioners in narrative change work, it is important—necessary, even—to think about and aim for audiences who have values that may not be familiar to us. The narrative architecture built in this work intended to teach us more about what really motivates audiences, allowing for the creation of engaging, effective content. Below, we share audience-specific insights.

People Power is a strong base for the narrative goal

Community and universalism drive People Power: understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection, for the welfare of all people and for nature. In other words, they really care about people they may not know, and their Medical narrative reinforces an attention to inequitable systems. This is the audience most likely to engage with content centering systemic racism. Importantly, the bulk of content that transports other audiences also transports People Power, too. By aiming creative efforts outside of People Power, it may be easier to build broad-based narrative power.

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Ads that work with other audiences often work with People Power, like the “Bad Blood” B ad designed for Don’t Tread on Me.

Content with a clear future is critical to moving If You Say So, and speaking their unique cultural language is key to engagement

If You Say So is less willing to engage than other audiences generally. The content that does engage tends to be sillier, darker, and more cynical than the stuff that lifts heart-and-home Tough Cookies, for example.

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Silly and cynical meme-like creative engages If You Say So, like this ad A designed specifically for them.

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Most of what engages features individuals, not families or groups, like these two ads, “Arrested” A and “College” B.

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Three different versions of the “Coaches” ad, A designed for If You Say So A , B designed for Tough Cookies B, and C designed for Don’t Tread on Me, all moved If You Say So. This is consistent with their Trust + Care narrative, in which they’re looking for trusted allies to help navigate healthcare systems.

Tough Cookies: easy to engage but harder to persuade

Tough Cookies gravitates toward content featuring heart and home, faith and family, plus other types of community working together. Tough Cookies was especially moved by content about changing the system, for example, to allow providers trained outside the U.S. to practice, rather than work as drivers.

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Multiple ads in the "Health Credentials" story worked with Tough Cookies, including these designed for If You Say So A & B, and this one designed for People Power C.

Effective Don’t Tread on Me content centers control and choice.

We were doubtful of being able to reach and move Don’t Tread on Me, given the antagonism of the Enemy narrative. We found that the antidote to this narrative is control and choice. All the content from the “Sick” story moved Don’t Tread on Me, given its focus on personal control.

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Though designed for other audiences (If You Say So A and Tough Cookies B), two ads from this story worked with Don’t Tread on Me.

The average effects tell a story about how each audience’s specific values can contribute to achieving a new narrative.

The average effects we observed in audiences from treating them with content correlated to the values and health-related narratives which define each audience. They also point to the important contributions each audience may be able to make to achieving a new narrative on health equity.

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  People Power easily recognizes the problem (1), the need for change (2), and pathways for realizing change (3).
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  Creative, autonomous If You Say So moves most toward imagining the future (3).
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  Safety-minded Tough Cookies moves most to perceiving the threat (1).
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  Action-oriented and leadership-driven Don't Tread On Me moves most toward demanding change (2).

The average effects we observed in audiences from treating them with content correlated to the values and health-related narratives which define each audience.

Each audience has different entry points to the target narrative

It is possible to align all four audiences to a narrative on health equity that recognizes the problems inherent in our current, racially biased health system, and posits a new system that rectifies injustices, honors everyone who participates in it, delivers excellent health outcomes, and is accessible and affordable for all populations. But each audience approaches this narrative from different places and perspectives. Overall, lifting up choice and control, in addition to injustice and outcomes, allows us to reach and move individually focused audiences also.

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People Power responds the most to direct appeals for justice, equity, and fairness in the content they engage with A. They easily recognize the problem, the need for change, and pathways for realizing change.

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If You Say So responds to content that reflects a desire to better navigate the system to satisfy their needs A. Creative and autonomous, they move most toward imagining the future.

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Tough Cookies responds to content that frames change via better outcomes in their communities and families A. Safety-minded, they move the most to perceiving the threat.

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Don't Tread On Me responds to content that promises more personal control and choice, for themselves as part of everyone A. Action-oriented and leadership-driven, they move most toward demanding change.