Colenso BBDO

Client: Spark
Product: telecommunications / code
Title: Beyond Binary Code
Media: Social- Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & Reddit - High Impact Display - Stuff, DV360, Reddit Programmatic Video - YouTube
Country: New Zealand
Date Of Campaign: 21/2/22

Background: Spark is New Zealand’s biggest broadband provider. Its purpose is to build a digital future with everyone in mind. Unfortunately, most of the internet still runs on two gender data points - male and female. Making the online experience for trans and non-binary people demeaning, and the data captured on them inaccurate. Spark wanted to help these communities feel seen online. Beyond Binary Code delivers that through a single piece of code that can be added to any website, instantly making forms and fields gender inclusive. Effects that flow on to all business touchpoints. The campaign intersects 3 key ambitions of Spark:1. Help New Zealanders have a better relationship with their data. 2. Improve the sophistication of NZ businesses’ datascapes.3. Lift digital inequities for communities.

Idea: Gender inclusivity can be daunting to businesses. We needed to engage them on an often politicised topic. So, we gave them an actionable tool, the code, while arming them with indisputable, ‘business-sense’ facts. We leveraged the human side of data to emotionally connect New Zealand to the problem, reaching out to 3 main audience sets: 1. Trans, non-binary and rainbow communities. The community members were co-creators, advisors, and advocates.2. We worked with NZ businesses to design tools to help them get buy-in with management/stakeholders, how to roadmap change and implement it. 3. Bringing to light a problem the rest of the nation hadn’t thought about: getting them to understand its roots, and view the concept of gathering gender data as archaic and unnecessary.

Results: Launched 2 weeks prior to Cannes 2022, the website recorded 10k views, 200+ code downloads and started conversations with 36 big businesses. Amongst the companies to implement the code were New Zealand’s biggest digital news website and leading online event company. Spark is in discussions with cloud computing company SalesForce. Their management tools are used by millions of businesses around the world. In June, Beyond Binary Code will be sent to 65k of Spark’s business customers. The code has been written to work in HTML, Java, as well as Wix, SquareSpace, WordPress and direct-to-market website building software. Beyond Binary Code is designed to be enduring for businesses – an open source and education platform that will drive change for years to come.