Storytelling Tips from Scholars and Taylor Swift to Promote Clean Energy’s Economic Benefits
Chambers of commerce are natural storytellers about business growth. New research suggests that how these stories are told can make clean energy projects even more compelling as economic success stories. Joseph Romm, Senior Research Fellow at the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media, shared with Penn Today insights on how storytelling modeled after techniques in Taylor Swift’s lyrics amplifies the reach and emotional impact of clean energy messages. Romm highlights the power of framing with “but” or “yet” to introduce a turning point in a story.
For example, a chamber describing a successful solar project may state: “We faced rising energy bills, but we invested in solar infrastructure and now we’re lowering costs, attracting manufacturers, and creating jobs.”
Not as catchy as Swift’s lyric, “I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror,” that Romm cites from her hit song, “Anti-Hero”, but it gets the message across.
A recent study from a group of academics at Clemson University titled, “Why is the Southeastern United States late to adopt electric vehicles?” published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, uses social listening and topic modeling to show that in the Southeast, conversations around EVs rarely emphasize environmental benefit. Instead, consumers focus on economic value, affordability, and independence. This suggests chambers should lead with economic, fiscal, personal freedom, and community benefit framing rather than technical or “eco” appeals.
By combining those two findings, chambers can craft messages such as:
“We were paying more and losing businesses, but by launching a community solar and charging-station initiative, we now have lower power costs, drawn new investment, and created 150 local jobs.”
Clean energy is a great economic story but only if we tell it the right way. Scholars like Romm remind us that narrative rhythm and emotional cadence matter as much as numbers. The new behavioral research from Clemson University shows that audiences, particularly in the Southeast, respond to messages rooted in value and independence when it comes to EVs and clean energy investments. For chambers of commerce, that’s a natural fit, and a powerful way to champion local prosperity through clean energy.