Why is the Southeastern United States late to adopt electric vehicles? Analyzing trends in social media conversation to form marketing recommendations

Because electric vehicles (EVs) are an essential part of national and global goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, organizations communicating about EVs should explore message design strategies that help increase adoption among various consumer groups. One consumer group that warrants closer attention is the Southeastern United States, which is slow to adopt EVs compared to national adoption rates. Therefore, this study seeks to better understand Southeastern consumer perceptions of EVs to lay a foundation for future exploration of this group and to identify communication implications. Guided by the concept of co-creation, a marketing process in which organizations and consumers create innovation and value together, this study employs social listening and topic modeling to analyze the social media conversation in the Southeast surrounding EVs between 2020 and 2024. Findings show that environmental concerns were largely absent from the conversation, and consumers instead co-created EVs’ value in relation to affordability and economic gain. The findings suggest a need to better tailor messages toward cultural and political audiences and potentially shift away from environmental benefits and toward functional benefits, like long-term financial value, lifestyle associations, and shared moral values.