Testing the Waters of Clean Water Messaging

American Rivers Action Fund decided to go against the current of typical climate narratives, and made quite the splash.

Earlier this year, American Rivers Action Fund targeted two small congressional districts in Michigan and New Jersey for a messaging experiment. Rather than diving into often contentious environmental debates, they focused on a fundamental issue: clean water.

They designed video ads highlighting how candidates’ policies impacted access to clean water, testing whether this approach could influence Vote Choice and Favorability among voters.

Using Grow Progress’ Rapid Message Testing tool, the team was able to run randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the persuasive power of these messages. Unlike traditional A/B testing, these trials not only measured preferences but also provided actionable data to reveal what moved the needle on key voter metrics.

Data-Driven Success

The results exceeded expectations:

• In Michigan, the clean water message video ranked in the top 25% of Grow Progress’ Persuasion Library, proving more persuasive on Vote Choice than 90% of other tested messages.
• In New Jersey, the video ranked in the top 25% as well, outperforming 91% of messages in shifting Favorability.

These results validated American Rivers Action Fund’s theory that water-focused messaging could resonate with voters.

Turning Results into Momentum

American Rivers Action Fund didn’t stop there. Their success with these videos opened doors to a new wave of opportunities. Environmental investors took notice of the results and backed their work with a new investment to expand their messaging experiments.

With this funding, American Rivers Action Fund plans to conduct Audience Understanding Surveys to better grasp voters’ beliefs, values, and identities related to water issues, run additional Rapid Message Tests to refine their messaging strategies, and test opposition messaging to prepare for counter-narratives.

This small-budget experiment has blossomed into a big, ambitious project. By continuing to test and learn, American Rivers Action Fund is on track to transform how environmental issues shape voter behavior.