Ad Council Research Institute

Brands, nonprofits and government agencies come to the Ad Council for our knowledge, expertise and assistance in communicating the right message by the right messengers through the right channels to ignite public action in this ever-changing climate. The core tenet of our work is and has always been research, as it’s vital to first understand the public’s knowledge and attitudes in order to move them to act.

Our Focus

Building upon years of research expertise, ACRI works with brand, corporate and nonprofit partners and clients in four ways:

AUDIENCE: We conduct research to gain a deeper understanding of the public’s perceptions, attitudes and willingness
to act on key social issues.
COMMUNICATIONS: We develop and test messaging and narratives for social good campaigns and corporate philanthropic initiatives.
INFLUENCE: We help build new knowledge on the role influencers or trusted messengers (such as online ambassadors, athletes, artists, celebrities, faith and community leaders and content creators) can play to move the public to act.
EVALUATION: We identify key performance indicators for communications initiatives, and the tools through which to measure, assess and optimize them over time.

Signature Public Study

Gun Violence Study

Gun injuries are now the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1-17. What actions do Americans think will effectively reduce gun violence?

Learn More

June 4, 2024

Our 2024 Research Agenda

Each year, ACRI defines areas of clear need for communications research. This agenda reflects key topics and issues affecting Americans and where deeper insights on target audiences, communication and messaging, and trusted messengers would help marketers at brands, causes and government agencies excel in their work. These areas also reflect our focus in the coming year beyond ACRI’s public and private studies with partners.

Within our agenda, we envision creating action-oriented communications insights, reports and toolkits with recommendations for the field, including:

Knowledge benchmarks by target audiences
Beliefs, bias and attitudes to address
Individual, family and peer engagement approach
Messaging do’s and don’ts by topic
Persuasive message frames, phrases and terminology
Motivating calls-to-action by population segment
Sentiment and perception analysis of climate actions and impact
Trusted messengers and most influential in nudging the public to act

For recent examples of our work, see our studies on Extreme Risk Protection Orders, substance use disorders, trust in the voting process and more.

CLIMATE CHANGE: ACRI is interested in understanding the best way(s) to inspire people to adopt clean energy solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the individual and household level. Using mixed-methods approaches (qualitative/quantitative) and message testing, we want to explore:

Clean Energy: Explore how best to educate and motivate the public to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax incentives and adopt clean energy solutions.

Environmental Justice/Equity: Ensuring individuals and neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by climate take advantage of benefits and opportunities.

Heat & Health: How best to inform and motivate the public about the impact of and prevention of heat-related health issues.

Disasters and Resilience: Communicating to the public about mitigating risks and adapting to disasters to protect loved ones.
VOTING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: The 2024 U.S. election cycle is already proving to be yet another politically-charged event. But before “get out the vote” efforts can truly begin, organizations and government officials have work to do: To educate Americans about the election process (what happens after a ballot is cast, how voter fraud is mitigated, how the Electoral College works) and (re)build a basis of trust in U.S. elections.

Building on ACRI’s past research work, this focus area seeks to:

Conduct research that encourages early voting and registration.

More deeply understand, experiment and build trusted messenger ecosystems that can reinstill trust in the election process specifically among those who distrust it most: conservative and independent voters.

Education on the election and post ballot counting processes.
MISINFORMATION: In the U.S., support for both technology companies and the government taking steps to restrict false information online has grown in recent years, reports the Pew Research Center. For example, 65% of Americans support tech companies moderating false information online and 55% support the U.S. government doing so -- both of which increased since 2018.

While Americans say they support such measures, brands, causes, government groups have an opportunity to help individuals take action beyond a simple instruction to “check your sources.”

This topic will:

Identify opportunities to combat misinformation.

Test potential messaging and calls to action.

Examine how trusted messengers can minimize discord and foster more constructive dialogue on today’s hot button issues.
MASCULINITY: Men in the U.S. are struggling: almost 1 in 5 don’t graduate high school (Brookings), 15% have no close friends (American Enterprise Institute), and 1 in 3 aged 18-34 live in their parents’ home (Pew Research Center). Men are twice as likely to overdose, 3.5 times more likely to experience death by suicide and nine times more likely to be incarcerated.

This area of research seeks to:

Better understand and define what modern masculinity is today.

Recognize top challenges men are facing.

Examine how a lack of strong male role models and mentors contribute to declining masculinity.

Explore the resources, messaging and potential calls to action young men need as they grow and mature.