Developing the Message: It’s All About Them
By T.L. Headley, MBA, MA, The Headley Company Energy Communications & Research
The nation’s coal industry finds itself today struggling to find a message. Those who work in the industry know how important coal is. We know it provides the most affordable and reliable form of energy available. We know it allowed us to build the greatest economy the world has ever seen. We know America has more coal in the ground than any other country and that coal, alone, could provide us full energy independence.
So why has the industry become an economic pariah — a product that is roundly dismissed as a fuel of the past — as our markets shift to natural gas and renewables?
The coal industry has spent tens of millions of dollars in efforts to educate the average American about coal’s importance to the nation’s economy, to take on and counter the efforts of those who want to shut down our industry and tell the stories of those who work in the industry. However, the erosion of the industry’s political support and economic impact continues largely unabated.
Why? What has the industry been doing wrong? Is there still a path to rebuild our industry? To get straight to the point, the answer to that question is… maybe.
There is no silver bullet. The industry can spend itself into collapse trying to buy support, but it will not move the needle. What is needed is a multi-channel, multi-faceted approach that brings all the industry’s assets to bear. And it requires the right message targeted to the right audience.
To build a message you must understand your audience. What are they thinking? What are their concerns?
The Audience
Various polls show most Americans are concerned about the environment and a majority are at least somewhat concerned about climate change. Most Americans believe climate change is occurring and that it should be a priority for the president and congress.
These concerns cannot simply be dismissed. We must accept that these concerns are real and that they are playing a central role in the war against fossil fuels — particularly coal.
There are huge differences in opinion, however, between conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, and between the various age groups and genders. The good news is that most Americans put climate change far down the list of issues in terms of importance.
So, let’s take a closer look at the numbers.
As results of a 2019 Pew Research Center study show, most Americans believe the federal government is doing too little to protect the climate and environment. The accompanying chart shows that about 65% of Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to protect water and air quality or to reduce the impacts of climate change. However, only 39% of Republicans and just 24% of self-described conservatives share that belief, while 90% of Democrats and 65% of moderates and liberals want more to be done.
The opinions of various age groups are split. Only 31% of the baby boom generation believe more should be done, while 41% of Generation X and 52% of millennials want more government action. Just 34% of men believe more government intervention is needed while 46% of women want more done. Based on this data, any messaging about the importance of coal must be targeted toward Generation X and millennial women who self-identify as moderates politically.
Pew Center research shows climate change policy lags far behind in any list of the top issues facing the country — with most placing the economy, preserving democracy and immigration far ahead. Most importantly, only 7% of independents consider climate change their top priority.
The same study shows most Americans (77%) prefer to develop renewables rather than expand fossil fuel to meet the nation’s energy needs. It’s important to note that this position is somewhat shared across political, age and gender categories.
So, applying the data found in the Pew study, the primary target audience for the fossil fuel industry is females between 18 and 40 who identify as political moderates. The secondary audience is males of the same age and political group, while the tertiary audience is Gen-X females who are political moderates. Further, politically moderate older males and females in the Gen-X and baby boom generation should also be targeted for messages, but many of these people already support (or at least do not oppose) fossil fuels.
Crafting An Effective Message
There is no denying it: coal and fossil fuels industries have a tough road in front of them. Most Americans are concerned about climate change, and the nation is also in the middle of a generational and cultural shift.
Millennials and younger age groups have the highest levels of unemployment and underemployment, which is counter-intuitive to the average level of educational attainment. They are also concerned about the economy and, while concerned about the environment, it is not at the top of the list of issues they believe face the country. In that, they are much the same as the other generational groups.
Now comes the hard part: What do millennials think of the coal industry and what can we say to win more support among these important age groups? Bluntly, millennials want to hear how we are changing. They want to see that we understand their concerns about the environment, that we share them and we are taking concrete steps to reduce overall pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases. They want to hear the coal industry is an active partner in the effort to address something they are concerned about.
The good news is we have stories to tell. How has coal mining changed? What are we doing to make sure water and air quality are protected around our operations? What technologies removing pollutants from coal-fired power plants exist? Are there technologies available to remove CO2 from coal-fired power generation? It is also important that the stories are told by miners, researchers, engineers, reclamation specialists and power plant workers — people who speak the language of the layperson.
The coal industry needs to shift its messaging to an industry that is committed to environmentally friendly mining, transportation and use. We need to show it’s no longer the pick-and-shovel mining of the past but rather a modern extractive industry. Yes, we can challenge bad policies, but we must do so by framing the issue in terms of its impact on young, everyday Americans. We must show we recognize the problems of the past and are committed to righting them.
We know we do an excellent job taking care of the environment. We know in many, if not most, cases we leave the area, its air and water in better shape than it was when we first arrived. We know that coal mining today has little in common with coal mining of the 1920s and 30s. And we know coal-fired electricity must be part of the nation’s energy plan going forward into the foreseeable future.
To this point, we have allowed the anti-coal, anti-industry to frame all the issues. We simply have not done a good enough job addressing their concerns. We have been reactive rather than proactive. In the beginning, we dismissed the radical environmental crowd as extremists. We failed to realize that they were being funded by people with deep pockets and by the time we saw the threat was real, the radical environmentalists and their allies had painted coal into the corner. And the result was the near-bankruptcy of the industry.
Make no mistake, unless the industry moves to address the concerns of the millennials and younger groups and change the discussion, coal mining will be relegated to history, just as it has been in England.
Next: Winning the Political War