Spark and Colenso BBDO create piece of code that rewrites the Internet to see all genders
Spark and Colenso BBDO have launched Beyond Binary Code. Co-created with OutLine and non-binary communities, the code revises the way organisations collect gender data by updating website forms and fields with gender inclusive options so everyone can feel seen.
If you’ve never had to think about your gender, you probably haven’t realised how often you get gendered online. But for individuals identifying beyond the binary gender of male and female, it affects them every day.
Says Claire Black, GM of rainbow mental health organisation OutLine Aotearoa: “Often businesses default to asking for gender without considering why they need that information and how it might impact the people on the other end of the form. When trans and non-binary people are excluded, misgendered, or discriminated against during daily interactions with businesses, that contributes to an environment that is hostile to their wellbeing.”
Beyond Binary Code addresses this with a single piece of code that can be added to your website. Bigger than just code, Beyond Binary Code is a full tool that helps businesses understand, first and foremost, whether they truly need to collect gender data from their customers at all. If they do, a HTML code is generated based on their unique business needs, so they can ask in an inclusive way.
Says Matt Bain, marketing director, Spark New Zealand: “Beyond Binary Code intersects two key ambitions at Spark – helping Kiwis have a better relationship with their data, and to champion diversity and inclusion within Spark and Aotearoa.
“Ultimately, through publishing the code, we want to encourage digital equity at an enterprise level. By influencing big data systems in businesses to evaluate whether they need to collect gender data at all and if it is required, that they do so in a way that helps people from all genders feel valued and visible online. In time and with the help of businesses adopting the code, we hope to build an internet with richer, more sophisticated datascapes that represent the true diversity of Aotearoa.”
The code comes with helpful materials to support businesses on their beyond binary journey, including guides on data privacy principles, how to get stakeholder buy-in and how to create safer spaces both on and offline for their customers and employees.
Says Black: “OutLine sees this code, and its supporting resources, as a catalyst for creating better experiences that support and affirm the wellbeing of both non-binary people and rainbow communities more broadly in Aotearoa.”
Sats Simon Vicars, CCO for Colenso BBDO: “For lots of people, filling in an online form is a simple box-ticking exercise. But for people who identify beyond male or female, it can reinforce the feeling that society doesn’t acknowledge them. Beyond Binary Code has the power to rectify this – to help rewrite the internet to see more than two genders. We’re proud to finally see the idea out in the world, and excited to see the difference it can make.”
Beyond Binary Code launched 21st February with a powerful film and digital campaign to support the website.
To join Spark and OutLine in their ambition to make the internet a more inclusive place for all, download the code for your own website at:
www.spark.co.nz/beyondbinarycode
Client: Spark
Client: Caitlin Hayns, Senior Social Brand Partner
Client: Frith Wilson-Hughes, Brand Lead Partner
Partners: OutLine Aotearoa
Agency: Colenso BBDO
Production Company: FINCH
Director: Zia Mandviwalla
Managing Director: Corey Esse Executive Producer: Bex Kelly
Producer: Duncan Bernard
DOP: Marty Williams
Editor: Julian Currin
Production Designer: Neville Stevenson
Post Production: Perceptual Engineering
Colourist: Pete Ritchie
Projections & Online: Jon Baxter
Music Composition: Cam Ballantyne, Beatworms
Sound Design: Liquid Studios
Sound Engineer: Craig Matuschka
Producer: Tamara O’Neill
Stills Photography: Lula Cucchiara
PR: Anthem
24 Comments
Great cause. Great idea. Great timing for Cannes
Meddle in the Elections was the last thing NZ had that was any good. It’s about time.
Why does nobody list the creatives anymore? Nice idea 🙂
I hope there is some sort of follow up/sharing of stats on this. This is one of those things that could be seen as cynical awards fodder if it doesn’t ever set out to be implemented at scale, but genuinely impactful if it is taken up across the net. One of those ideas that the reaction will determine how good an idea it is (and I hope it proves to be the later)
Selling cheese slices is harder.
I’d respect a creative that can do that and win awards.
As for this…meh.
Just make your tech work, be efficient and answer the phone when stuff goes wrong, thanxxxx.
Is Grand Prix shit.
Good, if familiar cause. Logical, if familiar solution. Great timing for Cannes 2021.
A contender for sure. Website is epic.
Welcome back Colenso.
No it’s not
Interesting, but why do we have genders as buttons to click anyway…surely wouldn’t it be better to get rid of the gender button altogether than adding a new one? Perhaps you can’t write code for that one?
“Most businesses don’t actually need to collect gender data” – from the Beyond Binary website.
Skeptical me thinks the amount of businesses that will use this tool will be rather insignificant. It feels like Cannes bait solving a micro issue to me. And to be 100% clear, of course gender inclusion is NOT a micro issue, it’s in dire need of addressing but I think (as someone with a trans person in my family) there’s far greater issues facing this community than this. Let’s try solve those first maybe? Widespread acceptance and understanding for one.
Nice film and website though. But very to see results. Let’s not forget many large government websites etc already offer an option outside male and female. But I’m sure they’ll magically turn up in the case study anyway. Abracadabra, gold!
Brilliant. Wish I had worked on it. Proud to see this come out of NZ.
Yawn. Stupid.
Simple idea. Beautifully executed. Neat website. Well done all involved.
…I will lose all faith in judges and the industry as a whole. Sorry, but no.
A few lines of hardcoded HTML…
Promoting the expansion of genders and salutations in online forms = awesome. No argument.
But your vehicle for doing that is a few lines of incredibly basic, hardcoded HTML…
And clearly lots of people think it’s awesome/deserving of prestigious awards…
Stupid industry.
That’s cute you still have faith.
A very trendy cause for corporates. But what is their objective? Display social empathy to attract more business? $?
Any award for this should go to the person who thought up the idea for the tech. Not the agency.
Everything else, like this expensive awards film, is just a dire cynical effort to get an award and to meet a KPI.
This is nothing new.
These sort of social good ideas have been filling up award shows for the past few years. Not because they’re great but because you dare not speak out. Last years Cannes was woeful because of them. I got bored because everything was the same.
Five years ago this might have been cutting edge. Now it tired and mainstream. I’d call the idea lazy.
As someone said earlier, selling some crap food is hard. This isn’t.
It’s a guilt idea. Like it or be cancelled.
There was a time when ads were talked about during the workday everywhere. There was a time when ad agencies were welcome in the C Suite. Not now. The talent is no longer there.
Vanity projects like this don’t help.
Give the award to the coder, not the agency.
Find a product, attach an ad to it and call it your idea.
BBDO, you’ve already done this.
Pedigree, anyone?
Datascapes influence everything. Digital and physical. Huge. (Obvs geek)
your faith should of long be gone if your benchmark is this not winning gold.
Need i remind you of what won gold at last years Axis. McDs and Lotto press scams for example
It might be a nice PR piece but from a tech point of view it’s misleading. It only provides the code for the front end. Any business that wants to implement this would need to make manual backend updates. ‘Re-writing the internet’ is a massive stretch. This campaign is a good conversation starter but doesn’t solve the tech part.
Have you explored the website? The resources on there are extensive. I downloaded the presentation for the c-suite which is super cool and sent it over to HR at my place. I’m guessing the goal there is that the CEO (once convinced) gives the go ahead to embark on a manual update which would use the code as the tip of the iceberg.