How do you brand something sensitive?

Opacity and obfuscation are quite common in the funeral sector. But a few years ago that led to the entire category coming under fire for a lack of transparency in the UK — so much so that it became the subject of a formal government investigation.

By contract, Poppy wants to bring things to light. We helped her brand Poppy’s, a modern funeral directors with a fresh approach. Part of the brand language is about gently revealing truths without scaring people.

Some things are just really hard to talk about. Childline exists to help young people open up about difficult topics, in private. One of the communication tools we’ve found extremely useful in this context is animation.

Animation can help express thoughts, feelings and experiences that just can’t quite be articulated in, say, live action film. It’s almost akin to play therapy, where the once-removed medium becomes malleable clay to facilitate talking and exploring.

Sensitive subjects are usually complex. That makes people naturally suspicious of simple answers. Against that backdrop, questions can prove particularly useful.

When the Government of Jersey wanted to host a citizens assembly on the topic of climate change policy, it needed to get people talking rather than shutting down. We developed a communication approach that was more about questions than answers, which brought people to the table.