Improving European citizens’ awareness of disinformation

The campaign demonstrates how clear, evidence-based communication combined with trusted partnerships and tailored media strategies can effectively counter complex disinformation narratives and empower citizens to make informed decisions.

Challenge

With a large proportion of citizens regularly exposed to misleading information, the challenge was how to engage Europeans aged 30–40. These so-called “climate bystanders” are generally not actively engaged in climate debates but are susceptible to confusion caused by disinformation. The European Commission tasked us with developing a campaign to address the growing impact of climate disinformation on this specific audience.

The campaign needed to:

• Raise awareness of climate disinformation without amplifying false narratives
• Provide simple, practical tools to recognise misleading content
• Demonstrate the relevance and impact of EU climate action in everyday life
• Use an accessible, non-institutional tone that resonates with a digitally active audience

Solution

Our team designed an integrated, multi-channel campaign structured around three core pillars: Be Aware, Be Prepared, and Be Informed. The campaign combined targeted content production, strategic media planning, and partnerships to maximise reach and credibility across France, Finland, Italy, and Poland.

Key elements included:

• A strong content approach using authentic visuals and simplified messaging to explain disinformation mechanisms and encourage critical thinking
• A diversified media strategy across YouTube, Twitch, online press, out-of-home, and digital out-of-home that could be adapted to follow platform restrictions on political advertising in the EU
• Paid media partnerships with trusted national outlets to integrate campaign messages into local editorial environments
• Influencer collaborations to extend reach and connect with audiences in a relatable way
• A multilingual campaign website and toolkit supporting stakeholders, expert organisations, and multipliers in further dissemination

We also collaborated with expert organisations such as EU DisinfoLab and EDMO, ensuring content accuracy, credibility, and alignment with current disinformation trends.

Results

The paid social media campaign delivered strong results across all key performance indicators, significantly exceeding initial projections while remaining within budget.

• Achieved over 56.6 million impressions, far surpassing the planned 34.3 million
• Generated 42.2 million video views, almost doubling the initial forecast
• Reached 14.5 million people (duplicated reach), outperforming initial targets
• Delivered high efficiency across paid media channels, particularly on YouTube and Twitch, with strong completion rates and cost performance

Additional results include:

• Media partnerships exceeded KPIs and enhanced credibility through trusted local platforms
• Influencer collaborations achieved a reach of 964,000 users and generated positive return on investment
• Owned social media channels delivered strong organic reach, particularly on Facebook
• The campaign landing page generated over 41,000 page views and strong multilingual engagement

Overall, the campaign successfully raised awareness of climate disinformation, improved audience understanding, and demonstrated the value of an integrated, evidence-based communication approach.