The Hubris of Celsius

I talk a lot with my clients about empathy. Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes when you’re trying to get your message across. Speaking their language. Meeting them where they are.

It turns out that one of the key barriers to combating climate change is scientists’ refusal to tell their story in a way that Americans – one of the world’s biggest climate culprits – can understand. Perhaps this is a branding lesson we all can learn from.

Lock and key
 
Would you make a key and then run around looking for a lock to open? No. You would start with a lock that needs opening, and then you would make the right key.

To make any good product, you’ve got to first think about how it’s going to be used. To tell a good story, you need to consider how it’s going to be understood. 
 
A matter of degrees

Science – and most of humanity - speaks in the language of Celsius. But Americans speak Fahrenheit. The notion that the earth could warm by, let’s say, 1.5 degrees Celsius is effectively meaningless if you don't speak the language.
 
German Lopez of the New York Times calls this a translation problem. He suggests that including Fahrenheit in scientific reports could go a long way toward driving action on climate change. Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe agrees. “It is absolutely essential to communicate in terms and language that people understand.”
 
Words matter; being “right” doesn’t
 
My Swiss husband has lived in the US for 20 years and still refuses to engage with the Fahrenheit scale. I find this renders him useless in answering questions like “Honey, what's the weather like today?” He finds my attachment to Fahrenheit puzzling.
 
Americans like Fahrenheit. The Swiss think horse meat is a reasonable choice for dinner. We all have our things. But it doesn’t matter if you’re right if you can’t get your point across. Your product (or temperature scale or dining preferences) may be superior, but if you can’t get your target market to listen, you’ve got problems.
 
Happily, adding Fahrenheit to our discussion of climate is a quick fix. Some communication problems are trickier. But they’re always worth tackling. Because clear communication will help your brand. And it might just save the world.