communication strategies

helping people help bees

01.

Preach to the choir…and beyond.

Scientists use outreach more than ever—not only through traditional scholarship, but also via social media and public presentations. One successful example is Shutterbee, an initiative that shows homeowners how they can be citizen scientists simply by snapping pictures in their backyard.

Yet to have the kind of sweeping impact that environmental issues demand, scientists need to extend messaging to the broader public, to people who aren’t focused on lawns or bees at all. It’s time to work with communication experts and social scientists to develop coordinated communication campaigns that rely on principles of branding.

That’s how we strategically maximize impact.

We need everybody on board.

02.

Control the narrative.

If you study native bees, you’ve likely encountered enthusiastic people who want to help by ‘saving the honey bees.’ While their intentions are good, the science suggests otherwise.

The honey bee industry has taken advantage of people’s familiarity with honey-making bees that live in hives to spread the message that supporting honey bee production is a means of addressing the pollinator crisis. (Spoiler alert: it’s not.)

If scientists don’t step up and promote accurate narratives, the result is worse than an uninformed public. The result is a misinformed public, in this case directing valuable attention and resources to a species that in fact poses a threat to native bees.

03.

Meet people where they are.

In today’s world, we are relentlessly inundated with messages and information. Time and attention are scarce resources, yet scientists design messaging that requires both.

As a result many people won’t hear what you are saying, particularly if they also face daily struggles that make efforts to care for the planet seem like a luxury.

We are conducting experiments that assess the effectiveness of quick, easy, messages placed where people will bump into them, such as on yard signs. We use survey and focus group research to learn where people are in their journey to sustainable behavior.

Neighbors share information about lawns.

We are conducting social network analysis of survey and interview data to examine how knowledge of the Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home program extends through neighborhoods where a minority of homeowners participate in it. Signage and gossip play a role.

The general public is less informed than scientists realize.

Data confirm what we already suspected: people who are informed and active with respect to pollinators already have a passion for environmentalism. Many more people are in the opposite category, unaware or unconcerned about what can be done to protect native bees.

It matters what other people think. Or what people think other people think.

Our focus groups of renters and homeowners with lawns provide insight into what motivates people to manage their property the way they do. Many people worry what others will think if they don’t keep a perfectly manicured traditional lawn.