Cambridge Public Health Department
Reframing extreme heat as a public health emergency through integrated strategic communications
The challenge
Despite being the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., extreme heat remains widely underestimated by Cambridge residents. Many recognize temperatures are rising but fail to view heat as an immediate threat, creating a gap between awareness and action.
Goal:
Transform extreme heat from an abstract climate issue into a personal public health concern.
Data and Research
To ground the campaign in real data, we conducted two in-depth interviews with Cambridge residents and surveyed 24 participants. Both interviewees recognized extreme heat as a growing issue—but neither felt personally at risk, reflecting a pattern our survey confirmed: 71% acknowledged heat events are becoming more frequent, yet 63% still viewed extreme heat as less dangerous than a harsh New England winter. Nearly 65% rated their personal concern at a moderate 3 out of 5.
Residents understood the trend but underestimated the risk. Therefore, the strategic focus of our campaign was creating urgency, rather than simply building awareness.
The Solution
We built a campaign around one insight: extreme heat is invisible, so we had to make it visible. The campaign message—"If it melts, so do you"—pairs things Cambridge residents can see (e.g. an overheating phone) with what they can't (e.g. core body temperature rising before symptoms appear).
Using a consistent “what you can see vs. what you can’t see” structure, the campaign pairs familiar, localized visuals with corresponding internal impacts.
This contrast-based framing simplifies complex health information into moments that can be quickly understood across diverse audiences.
The integrated strategy ran across Instagram, SMS alerts triggered by physical posters in workplaces, and earned media outreach to local TV and radio.
This project demonstrated how audience research can uncover the gap between awareness and behavior. By identifying the perceptions preventing residents from taking heat risk seriously, we developed a targeted communications strategy designed to drive meaningful action.
