A debate this morning regarding abortion prompted me to question the relevance of such debates. Whilst raising awareness and encouraging discussion is a worthwhile cause, such shows seek to find the one right answer, and agree on a single way forward.
Much like traditional advertising – one route is agreed as the way forward based on a group’s collective decision. It’s clearly obvious in some cases – but as with modern creative solutions, especially with digital routes, it pays to design with the wider picture in mind and ask “Is one answer the smart solution?”. Perhaps multiple ones targeting people’s personal outlook are the answer.
The TV debate had any people seeking to establish if abortion due to disability was right, or wrong. It soon became apparent that nobody was going to agree on one answer. Individuals have their own religions, outlooks and personal experience which flavour their choices. No answer was found, because there wasn’t one.
Digital Strategist extraordinaire Alec East and myself recently helped planned and designed a new online recruitment website for a major entertainment brand, where their broad church of brands and roles required throwing the categorisation approach out with the bath water. With their ‘Join Us’ page demonstrating people’s own personal choices, and multiple routes through to apply, the latest results show it to have paid off in a spectacular way. Proving with hard data that one size doesn’t fit all.
Further reading: The folly of categorisation.. Will Humphrey, Head of Planning at Edelmen London,
Graham.Creative. 